What does "shot" mean?
The result of launching a projectile or bullet.
Shot
/ʃɒt/ adj, intj, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The result of launching a projectile or bullet.
- Grammar: shot is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: shooting, admission, admission fee, aerial photograph.
- Useful contrasts: chaser, failure, miss.
- Usage evidence: To our surprise, our son has suddenly shot up recently.
How to use "shot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shot" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "shooting" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The result of launching a projectile or bullet. countable, uncountable
"The shot was wide of the mark."
- 2 A charge to be paid, a scot or shout.
"Drink up. It's his shot."
- 3 the launching of a missile or spacecraft to a specified destination wordnet
- 4 The act of launching a ball or similar object toward a goal. countable, uncountable
"They took the lead on a last-minute shot."
- 5 throwing the basketball toward the hoop wordnet
Show 35 more definitions
- 6 The heavy iron ball used for the shot put. countable
"The shot flew twenty metres, and nearly landed on the judge's foot."
- 7 the act of firing a projectile wordnet
- 8 The athletics event of shot put. uncountable
"For two years Templeton has given individual attention to Krenz. The young man has reciprocated by giving at least two hours each day to practice in the shot and discus."
- 9 (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand wordnet
- 10 Small metal balls, or other hard objects of various shapes, used as ammunition, especially in shotgun shells or artillery shells. uncountable
"Steel shot, unlike lead shot, avoids contaminating the land with spent lead."
- 11 the act of putting a liquid into the body by means of a syringe wordnet
- 12 Metal or stone balls (or similar), not necessarily small, used as ammunition. historical, uncountable
"The shot for this ship's deck guns, in that day, consisted only of solid iron balls such as ten-pounders."
- 13 informal words for any attempt or effort wordnet
- 14 Someone who shoots (a gun, longbow, etc.); a person reckoned as to their aim. countable, uncountable
"He'd make a bad soldier, since he's a lousy shot."
- 15 an attempt to score in a game wordnet
- 16 An opportunity or attempt. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"I'd like just one more shot at winning this game."
- 17 a blow hard enough to cause injury wordnet
- 18 A remark or comment, especially one which is critical or insulting. countable, uncountable
"Schwarzenegger also is taking nasty shots from his own party, as GOP conservatives bash some of his appointments as Kennedyesque and traitorous to party values."
- 19 a solid missile discharged from a firearm wordnet
- 20 A punch or other physical blow. US, countable, slang, uncountable
- 21 an explosive charge used in blasting wordnet
- 22 A measure of alcohol, usually spirits, as taken either from a shot-glass or directly from the bottle, equivalent to about 44 milliliters or 1.5 ounces. ("pony shot"= 30 milliliters; 1 fluid ounce) countable, uncountable
"I'd like a shot of whisky in my coffee."
- 23 sports equipment consisting of a heavy metal ball used in the shot put wordnet
- 24 A single serving of espresso. countable, uncountable
- 25 an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera wordnet
- 26 A reckoning, a share of a tavern bill, etc. archaic, countable, uncountable
"Yet still while I have got / Enough to pay the shot / Of Boniface, both gruff and greedy O!"
- 27 an estimate based on little or no information wordnet
- 28 A single snapshot or an unbroken sequence of photographic film exposures, or the digital equivalent; an unedited sequence of frames. countable, uncountable
"We got a good shot of the hummingbirds mating."
- 29 a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film wordnet
- 30 A vaccination; an injection for the purpose of vaccination. Australia, Canada, US, countable, uncountable
"tetanus shot"
- 31 an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect wordnet
- 32 Any injection. countable, uncommon, uncountable
"[…] allowed heroin addicts to receive daily heroin shots supervised by a nurse in a clinical setting. Switzerland has since expanded this program due to evidence that crime rates and unemployment rates among participants drop during participation (266-7)."
- 33 a person who shoots (usually with respect to their ability to shoot) wordnet
- 34 A home run that scores one, two, or three runs (a four run home run is usually referred to as a grand slam). countable, informal, uncountable
"His solo shot in the seventh inning ended up winning the game."
- 35 a small drink of liquor wordnet
- 36 Written documentation of a behavior infraction. countable, uncountable
- 37 a chance to do something wordnet
- 38 A cast of one or more nets. countable, uncountable
- 39 A place or spot for setting nets. countable, uncountable
- 40 A single draft or catch of fish made. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of shoot form-of, participle, past
- 2 To load (a gun) with shot. transitive
"His order to me was, to see the top Chains put upon the Cables, and the Guns shotted."
- 3 To sell illegal drugs; to deal. Multicultural-London-English, transitive
"The mandem all used to go round there and get head off her, the sister blowing the man line by line while her brother shotted downstairs in the stairwell."
- 4 To feed small shot to (a horse), as a fraudulent means of disguising broken-windedness. obsolete, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Tired, weary.
"I have to go to bed now; I’m shot."
- 2 Discharged, cleared, or rid of something.
"Tell me true, are you not glad to be fairly shot of him?"
- 3 Worn out or broken. colloquial
"The rear axle will have to be replaced. It’s shot."
- 4 Woven from warp and weft strands of different colours, resulting in an iridescent appearance.
"The cloak was shot through with silver threads."
Adjective
- 1 varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles wordnet
Intj
- 1 An expression of gratitude, similar to thank you. New-Zealand, colloquial
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"To our surprise, our son has suddenly shot up recently."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shot"?
Common synonyms include: shooting, admission, admission fee, aerial photograph, airburst, all bets off.
How do you use "shot" in a sentence?
To our surprise, our son has suddenly shot up recently.
How do you pronounce "shot"?
Pronounced /ʃɒt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The past participle of shoot.
Etymology 2
From Old English sceot, from Proto-Germanic *skutą; compare the doublet scot.
Etymology 3
See scot (“a share”).