shot 1 of 2

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as in firing
a directed propelling of a missile by a firearm or artillery piece cannon operators often had to use several shots to figure out the range of their targets

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as in photo
a picture created from an image recorded on a light-sensitive surface by a camera took a shot of his family for the scrapbook

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as in shooter
a person skilled in shooting at a target a soldier who's an excellent shot with a rifle

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as in sip
the portion of a serving of a beverage that is swallowed at one time drank a shot of whisky

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as in guess
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence I have no idea what's different about you, but I'll take a shot: you cut your hair?

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as in opportunity
a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place we have a real shot at getting into the championship if we win this next match

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shot

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verb

past tense of shoot
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as in blasted
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers train extensively to learn to shoot accurately and quickly

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as in photographed
to take a photograph of shooting the lakeside scene while the light lasted

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shot
Noun
Ten seconds after Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling got in front of a Luke Hughes attempt from the right circle, Jack Hughes took a feed from Jesper Bratt and roofed a snap shot from the bottom of the left circle short side under the crossbar. Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025 De Gea developed it to a degree but was more of an instinctive shot stopper than someone who would marshal the back line and spread calm to those in front of him. Mark Critchley, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Argentine singer Fede Dorcaz was shot and killed in Mexico City just days before he was set to appear on a popular Mexican television dance competition. Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 11 Oct. 2025 Mangione allegedly waited for Thompson to pass by and then shot him at close range. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shot
Noun
  • The veteran host has been candid about his firing, citing his opposition to casting political figures like Sean Spicer.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
  • While the full scope of the firings wasn’t clear, some of the departments affected included the agency’s Office of Communications and the Center for Mental Health Services, where dozens were let go from multiple areas, according to one of the employees.
    Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • On Sunday, Jeanty was stopped for a loss or no gain on four of his 10 runs against light boxes, and overall, the Las Vegas Raiders were stuffed 11 times on 29 attempts — the most of any team in a game this season.
    Vic Tafur, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Ongoing battle over Louisiana's congressional map The controversy grew out of Louisiana’s attempt to account for population shifts after the 2020 census.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Although there were no photos of Swift arriving at Arrowhead Stadium this time, the NBC Sports cameras spotted her in a suite.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The rye character of the whiskey is definitely front and center, with notes of spice, fruit, vanilla, and caramel popping on every sip.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Megan couldn't choke down a single sip of the chicken smoothie and almost puked in the sink after trying it.
    Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And in the comments of her introductory video, her team shoots down every plausible guess.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The married filmmakers said their best guess currently puts him in Mexico.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But if you too have been mesmerized by the Belle Époque aesthetics of recent video games like Lies of P and Clair Obscur, Halloween is the perfect opportunity to put on a red beret and parry with the best of them.
    James Factora, Them., 17 Oct. 2025
  • Arteta will need to use this as an opportunity to get more from other players in the squad.
    Art de Roché, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • About 600 workers at the CDC remained fired Monday in conjunction with the federal government shutdown after hundreds more had originally been targeted, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, which represents CDC employees in Atlanta.
    Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Frelick recovered and fired the ball to the infield, and the defense was able to get Teoscar Hernandez with the force out.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The score would hold until the final minute of the second quarter, when Jonah Selter drilled a 32-yard field goal to provide the Mustangs a 10-0 edge at intermission.
    Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Zack Marticorena and Jacob Romeo each scored rushing TDs and Christian Slojkowski drilled a 40-yard field goal.
    John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shot. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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