1
: that is complete or effective through being done or used or applied only once
there is no easy one-shot answer to the problem
2
: that is not followed by something else of the same kind
a one-shot tax cut
one-shot noun

Examples of one-shot in a Sentence

this offer is a one-shot deal; if you refuse, you won't get another chance
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After that, Cobbs had one-shot roles on the most notable TV dramas of their time. Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 3 July 2024 Experts suggest that addressing productivity doesn’t have a one-shot solution. Shawn Tully, Fortune Europe, 10 Oct. 2024 The one-shot comic won both the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Single Issue or Story in 1994, and was later adapted for TV. Samantha Riedel, Them, 3 Oct. 2024 There is focus on the abuse Erik and Lyle faced from their father, including a one-shot episode that is an entire conversation about Erik describing, in extremely graphic detail, the nature of his abuse. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for one-shot 

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of one-shot was in 1907

Dictionary Entries Near one-shot

Cite this Entry

“One-shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-shot. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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