take a shot

idiom

1

: to fire a gun

He took a shot and missed.

—often + at

He took a shot at the deer.

2

: to try to hit

—+ at

She took a shot at me with a snowball but missed.

3

: to propel a ball or puck toward a goal

He took a shot and scored.

4

: to make a critical or hurtful remark about someone

—+ at

They took shots at each other throughout the debate.

5

: to attempt to do something successfully

—often + at

Take a shot at the math problem.

I never changed a tire before, but I'll take a shot at it.

6

informal : to photograph something

—often + of

Be sure to take a shot of the house.

Examples of take a shot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While Keanu mistakenly believed Vince would finally take a shot at flirtmance partner Morgan Pope, the Head of Household took the shot at Keanu instead. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025

Nix, though, fully supported Payton’s decision to take a shot instead of boot a 54-yard field goal. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025

Indulge in the most design-forward coffeehouses in America, and take a shot of their inimitable style home with you. —Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2025

To make matters worse, a TCU star decided to take a shot at Belichick following the loss. —James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for take a shot

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• afterthought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot