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
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Taking a view on these big trends, in a specific location, as well as a more subjective view on the risks/quality of the asset itself, allows investors to then take a shot at projecting each revenue and expense line item for the next 10 years and price an asset accordingly. Thibault Adrien, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 While the Mark 2 will be only supersonic with a top speed of Mach 3, the following Mark 3 will take a shot at reaching speeds in excess of Mach 3.3 – possibly reaching Mach 5 in 2026. David Szondy may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2025 Kind of an old-school senior (type of) player, not afraid to take a shot, make a shot and bark at the bench. David Aldridge, New York Times, 19 June 2025 The junior knifed through traffic, and decided to take a shot himself with nowhere else to turn. Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for take a shot

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Cite this Entry

“Take a shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20shot. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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