take a shot
idiom
1
: to fire a gun
He took a shot and missed.
—often + atHe 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
Why wouldn’t a monkey left alone with a gun figure out how to take a shot?
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
That’s why the starters are, well, the starters Maryland got zero points from its bench, and fifth-year senior small forward Jordan Geronimo was the only reserve to take a shot (0 of 2).
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2025
Jupiter tied the match at 1-1 on Hole 6 when Boston conceded a birdie, but went behind again on Hole 10 when Woods took too long to take a shot – the first shot clock violation in TGL history – and the resulting one-stroke penalty handed the point to the Common.
—Jamie Barton, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Maybe the Warriors would be willing to take a shot providing extra cover as a scorer next to an elite defender like Draymond Green?
—Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take a shot
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Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
That’s why the starters are, well, the starters Maryland got zero points from its bench, and fifth-year senior small forward Jordan Geronimo was the only reserve to take a shot (0 of 2).
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2025
Jupiter tied the match at 1-1 on Hole 6 when Boston conceded a birdie, but went behind again on Hole 10 when Woods took too long to take a shot – the first shot clock violation in TGL history – and the resulting one-stroke penalty handed the point to the Common.
—Jamie Barton, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Maybe the Warriors would be willing to take a shot providing extra cover as a scorer next to an elite defender like Draymond Green?
—Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take a shot
Cite this Entry
“Take a shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20shot. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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