SHOT (shotted, shotting)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shot mean? 

• SHOT (noun)
  The noun SHOT has 17 senses:

1. the act of firing a projectile

2. a solid missile discharged from a firearm

3. (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

4. a chance to do something

5. a person who shoots (usually with respect to their ability to shoot)

6. a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film

7. the act of putting a liquid into the body by means of a syringe

8. a small drink of liquor

9. an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect

10. an estimate based on little or no information

11. an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera

12. sports equipment consisting of a heavy metal ball used in the shot put

13. an explosive charge used in blasting

14. a blow hard enough to cause injury

15. an attempt to score in a game

16. informal words for any attempt or effort

17. the launching of a missile or spacecraft to a specified destination

  Familiarity information: SHOT used as a noun is very familiar.

• SHOT (adjective)
  The adjective SHOT has 1 sense:

1. varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles

  Familiarity information: SHOT used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHOT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of firing a projectile

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shooting; shot

Context example:

his shooting was slow but accurate

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

actuation; propulsion (the act of propelling)

Meronyms (parts of "shot"):

fire control (preparation for the delivery of shellfire on a target)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

countershot (a return shot; a retaliatory shot)

shoot (the act of shooting at targets)

potshot (a shot taken at an easy or casual target (as by a pothunter))

shellfire (shooting artillery shells)

headshot (a shot aimed at a person's head)

gunfire; gunshot (the act of shooting a gun)

discharge; firing; firing off (the act of discharging a gun)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A solid missile discharged from a firearm

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

pellet; shot

Context example:

the shot buzzed past his ear

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

missile; projectile (a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

BB; BB shot (a small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun)

bird shot; buckshot; duck shot (small lead shot for shotgun shells)

grape; grapeshot (a cluster of small projectiles fired together from a cannon to produce a hail of shot)

ball; musket ball (a solid projectile that is shot by a musket)

Holonyms ("shot" is a part of...):

canister; canister shot; case shot (a metallic cylinder packed with shot and used as ammunition in a firearm)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shot; stroke

Context example:

he left me an almost impossible shot

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

maneuver; manoeuvre; play (a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill)

Meronyms (parts of "shot"):

follow-through (the act of carrying a stroke to its natural completion)

Domain category:

athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

break (the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool)

cannon; carom (a shot in billiards in which the cue ball contacts one object ball and then the other)

masse; masse shot (a shot in billiards made by hitting the cue ball with the cue held nearly vertically; the cue ball spins around another ball before hitting the object ball)

miscue (a faulty shot in billiards; the cue tip slips off the cue ball)

cut; undercut ((sports) a stroke that puts reverse spin on the ball)

swipe (a sweeping stroke or blow)

tennis shot; tennis stroke (the act of hitting a tennis ball with a tennis racket)

baseball swing; cut; swing (in baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball)

golf shot; golf stroke; swing (the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A chance to do something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

crack; shot

Context example:

he wanted a shot at the champion

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

chance; opportunity (a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A person who shoots (usually with respect to their ability to shoot)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

shooter; shot

Context example:

a poor shooter

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

expert (a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

crack shot; marksman; sharpshooter (someone skilled in shooting)

gun; gunman (a person who shoots a gun (as regards their ability))

trapshooter (a person who engages in shooting at clay pigeons that are hurled into the air by a trap)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

scene; shot

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

exposure; photo; photograph; pic; picture (a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

outtake (a scene that is filmed but is not used in the final editing of the film)

Holonyms ("shot" is a part of...):

film; flick; motion-picture show; motion picture; movie; moving-picture show; moving picture; pic; picture; picture show (a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of putting a liquid into the body by means of a syringe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

injection; shot

Context example:

the nurse gave him a flu shot

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

medical aid; medical care (professional treatment for illness or injury)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

subcutaneous injection (an injection under the skin)

intramuscular injection (an injection into a muscle)

intradermal injection (an injection into the skin)

intravenous injection (an injection into a vein)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A small drink of liquor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

nip; shot

Context example:

he poured a shot of whiskey

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)

Sense 9

Meaning:

An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

barb; dig; gibe; jibe; shaft; shot; slam

Context example:

she takes a dig at me every chance she gets

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

comment; input; remark (a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

cheap shot (an unnecessarily aggressive and unfair remark directed at a defenseless person)

Sense 10

Meaning:

An estimate based on little or no information

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

dead reckoning; guess; guessing; guesswork; shot

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

approximation; estimate; estimation; idea (an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth)

Sense 11

Meaning:

An informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

shot; snap; snapshot

Context example:

he tried to get unposed shots of his friends

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

exposure; photo; photograph; pic; picture (a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Sports equipment consisting of a heavy metal ball used in the shot put

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he trained at putting the shot

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

sports equipment (equipment needed to participate in a particular sport)

Sense 13

Meaning:

An explosive charge used in blasting

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

burster; bursting charge; charge; explosive charge (a quantity of explosive to be set off at one time)

Sense 14

Meaning:

A blow hard enough to cause injury

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

I caught him with a solid shot to the chin

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

cheap shot (an illegal and unsportsmanlike act of unnecessary violence)

Sense 15

Meaning:

An attempt to score in a game

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shot"):

basketball shot (throwing the basketball toward the hoop)

slapshot (a fast shot made with a short powerful swing of the hockey stick)

headshot (an attempt to put the soccer ball into the net by using the head)

Sense 16

Meaning:

Informal words for any attempt or effort

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shot; stab

Context example:

he took a stab at forecasting

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

Sense 17

Meaning:

The launching of a missile or spacecraft to a specified destination

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

blastoff; shot

Hypernyms ("shot" is a kind of...):

rocket firing; rocket launching (the launching of a rocket or missile under its own power)

• SHOT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles

Synonyms:

changeable; chatoyant; iridescent; shot

Context example:

a dragonfly hovered, vibrating and iridescent

Similar:

colorful; colourful (having much or varied color)

 Context examples 

He shot a questioning glance at Alleyne as he spoke.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It required more than 6 1/2 hours over the four days for Curiosity to capture the individual shots.

(Curiosity Mars Rover Snaps Its Highest-Resolution Panorama Yet, NASA)

“What shall I do, then?” she asked, detecting the anxious glance I had shot at the object of our conversation, and impressed, I flatter myself, with the earnestness of my manner.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

He shot one of his suspicious looks at me. ‘Perhaps we had better proceed to business, then,’ said he. ‘Mr. Ferguson and I will take you up to see the machine.’

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He smiled, and shot as evil a glance at me as could come from his dark eyes.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

She's too smart to be shot in the open.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

He wants me to be an India merchant, as he was, and I'd rather be shot.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Shot through the heart, sir, and never spoke again.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Allergy shots can help make you less sensitive to pollen and provide long-term relief.

(Hay Fever, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Cries and confusion, the flashes and reports of pistol-shots, and one loud groan rang in my ears.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)