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
Mitchell Robinson played 14 minutes, scored only one point, didn’t take a shot and somehow owned the Celtics.
—
Fred Katz, New York Times, 17 May 2025
For Coughlin, that moment was to take a shot at HBO, Netflix’s chief rival in premium TV programming.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
That’s the rhythm: open the app, take a shot, try again.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
After all the consternation about how casually the Knicks moved at the end of Game 2, when Karl-Anthony Towns did not take a shot in the fourth quarter and the offense stagnated, they were mired in even deeper mud during Game 5.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take a shot
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Fred Katz, New York Times, 17 May 2025
For Coughlin, that moment was to take a shot at HBO, Netflix’s chief rival in premium TV programming.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
That’s the rhythm: open the app, take a shot, try again.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
After all the consternation about how casually the Knicks moved at the end of Game 2, when Karl-Anthony Towns did not take a shot in the fourth quarter and the offense stagnated, they were mired in even deeper mud during Game 5.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 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 2 Jun. 2025.
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