Meaning & use
single shots
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“single shots” is a form of “single shot”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
The plural form of 'single shot': one photograph, one bullet, or one small serving of a strong drink taken alone.
Grammar: Use the plural when talking about more than one; the singular is 'single shot'.
Patterns
- take single shots
- fire single shots
- order single shots
The photographer took single shots of each guest instead of a group picture.
The rifle fires single shots, not bursts.
We ordered single shots of espresso after dinner.
Word forms
| singular | single shot |
|---|
Common combinations
- fire single shots
- The soldiers were ordered to fire single shots.
- take single shots
- He took single shots of the flowers, one by one.
- single shots of espresso
- She prefers single shots of espresso in the morning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- individual shots
- More general; 'individual shots' can refer to any separate items, while 'single shots' often implies one unit of ammunition or one small drink.
Word family
- single-shot adjective
- Describing a gun that must be reloaded after each shot, or a camera that takes one picture at a time.
Commonly confused: single shots or single-shot?
single shots vs single-shot
As an adjective, it is written with a hyphen and comes before a noun, e.g. 'a single-shot rifle'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'single shots' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Single shots' is plural, so it goes with a plural verb 'fires'. Option A has 'a' before the plural, which is wrong. Option C is unnatural because 'shots' of water is not a common phrase. Option D is incorrect because 'single shots' does not mean 'alone in a race'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “single shots”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.