one shot
- noun
- /wʌn ʃɑt/
- Specialized
- In other words, it only fires once, but that one shot can be lethal as hell.
- fire one shot
- take one shot
- killed with one shot
I know, Rune said and fired one shot right to her thigh.
- I know, Rune said and fired one shot right to her thigh.
- And what do you do Then I fire one shot.
- Luke was the first one shot took around right below the knee.
Examples
-
We only have one shot.
-
We're only going to get one shot at this.
Fiction book (1994) -
I only got one shot left.
-
- You have one shot.
-
We only get one shot at this; it's good to know what life we want to live.
Fiction book (1994) -
Whatever's out there, one shot with this, it's dead.
-
Now we only have one shot of landing on this rock, and that's precisely when the asteroid passes by the moon.
-
But the hunter must kill his game with one shot, mercifully shortening the span of dying.
Fiction book (1998) -
Little Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically knocks him down with one shot.
Fiction book (1998) -
The marksman was so skilled that he was able to hit the target with just one shot.
Synonyms
A small metal object fired from a gun
A single bullet or shell used in a gun
An event when someone shoots a gun and a bullet leaves the gun
A single bullet or shell ready to be fired
How Intense
- Formal
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'one' (single) and 'shot' (an attempt or single instance), so the idea of a single example/attempt is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional pattern is common and maps well onto the ML sense of learning from a single instance, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
One shot The noun one shot comes from the literal idea of firing a gun: you have one shot or bullet to fire. That's why it means 'a single charge or round of ammunition'.