single-shot

IPA/ˈsɪŋ.ɡəlˌʃɒt/
IPA/ˈsɪŋ.ɡəlˌʃɑːt/

single-shot — adjective

1. describing a gun that can fire just once before you have to put in a new bullet

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a gun that can fire just once before you have to put in a new bullet by hand

Example

The old hunting rifle was a single-shot weapon, so Caleb reloaded after every deer.

attributive: single-shot + weapon/rifle

Holding a single-shot pistol, Elena had to load a new bullet after firing each one.

Common collocations
  • single-shot rifle
  • single-shot pistol
  • single-shot weapon
  • single-shot air gun
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • repeating

    holds several rounds and fires them in sequence

  • automatic

    fires continuously while the trigger is held

Grammar Patterns

single-shot + [firearm noun]

Usage Note

Only used before the noun (a single-shot rifle), never after 'be'. Contrasts with 'repeating', 'semi-automatic', or 'automatic' firearms that hold several rounds.

Common Mistakes

The rifle is single-shot in design and it works well.
It is a single-shot rifle and works well.
use it before the noun, not as a predicate after 'be'.

2. describing a film or scene filmed in one unbroken take, with the camera never st

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a film or scene filmed in one unbroken take, with the camera never stopping

Example

The director planned a single-shot opening that follows the waiter through the whole kitchen.

attributive: single-shot + scene/opening

The crew rehearsed for weeks before they filmed the long single-shot dance scene perfectly.

Common collocations
  • single-shot scene
  • single-shot sequence
  • single-shot opening
  • single-shot film
Synonyms
  • one-take

    everyday wording for the same idea

  • continuous

    stresses that nothing interrupts the recording

Antonyms
  • edited

    built from many separate clips joined together

Grammar Patterns

single-shot + [film noun]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (firearms): here the noun is a film, scene, or sequence, not a gun. The defining feature is that the camera records without any cut.

3. describing a medicine that works after just one injection, so no further shots a

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a medicine that works after just one injection, so no further shots are needed

Example

The clinic now offers a single-shot vaccine, so patients no longer return for a second dose.

attributive: single-shot + vaccine/dose

The nurse gave each child a single-shot vaccine, then sent them straight home to play.

Common collocations
  • single-shot vaccine
  • single-shot jab
  • single-shot treatment
  • single-shot dose
Synonyms
  • one-dose

    stresses the amount given, not the needle

  • single-dose

    common in medical labels for the same idea

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

single-shot + [medical noun]

Usage Note

Subject is usually a vaccine, drug, or treatment. The point is that one injection replaces a course of several, so do not use it for pills or oral medicine.

4. describing a drink mixed with only one small measure of strong alcohol or espres

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a drink mixed with only one small measure of strong alcohol or espresso

Example

Asher ordered a single-shot latte because two shots usually kept him awake all night.

attributive: single-shot + latte/coffee

The bartender poured a single-shot cocktail for the driver who still had to drive home.

Common collocations
  • single-shot espresso
  • single-shot latte
  • single-shot cocktail
  • single-shot whisky
Synonyms
  • single

    the bare word, often used alone at a bar ('a single, please')

Antonyms
  • double

    made with two measures instead of one

Grammar Patterns

single-shot + [drink noun]

Usage Note

Subject is usually a coffee or alcoholic drink. A 'shot' here means one small measure, so this sense contrasts with a 'double' that uses two measures.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe how often a gun can fire before it needs attention. 'Single-shot' is the narrowest: the gun holds just one round, so the user must load a new bullet by hand after every shot. 'Repeating' is broader and means the gun stores several rounds and feeds them one by one as the user works a lever or bolt. 'Semi-automatic' fires one round per trigger pull but loads the next round itself, so no hand-loading is needed between shots. 'Automatic' goes furthest: it keeps firing as long as the trigger is held. So a single-shot rifle is the slowest and simplest of the four, while an automatic rifle is the fastest. For example, a hunter might prefer a single-shot rifle for careful, one-aim shooting, whereas a target shooter often picks a semi-automatic for speed.

single-shot ↗repeating ↗automatic ↗semi-automatic

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a single-shot weapon
  • a single-shot dose
  • a single-shot sequence

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

This compound joins 'single', meaning just one, with 'shot'. 'Shot' began as the act of firing a weapon, then stretched to mean one attempt or one small measure of a liquid. The firearm meaning came first in the 1800s, when guns that held only one round were named for that limit. Later the same 'one and only one' idea spread to medicine (one injection), film (one continuous take), and drinks (one measure of espresso or spirit).