Phrase guide

shot in the dark

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A guess without any informed basis; an action taken according to that guess (such as a choice made).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: uneducated guess, wild guess, SWAG, leap in the dark
  • From listening, I can't tell who composed it. Beethoven, maybe, but that's a shot in the dark.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stab in the dark, uneducated guess, wild guess, SWAG, leap in the dark

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: guess, attempt, choice

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: skud i tågen — a guess
  • Finnish: hakuammunta — a guess
  • German: Schuss ins Blaue — a guess
  • Italian: ipotesi azzardata — a guess
  • Italian: salto nel buio — a guess
  • Japanese: 闇夜に鉄砲 (yami yo ni teppō) — a guess
  • Polish: strzał w ciemno — a guess
  • Spanish: solamente una teoría — a guess
  • Spanish: paso en falso — a guess