Word.ws English Dictionary

calling the shots

calling the shots is the present participle and gerund of call the shots.

Meaning of call the shots

Verb

call the shots (third-person singular simple present calls the shots, present participle calling the shots, simple past and past participle called the shots)

  1. (US) To make the decisions; to be in charge; to give orders.
    • In today's health care system, insurance companies call the shots. They pick whom they cover and how they cover them. They can cut off your benefits when you need your coverage the most. They are in charge.1994 January 25, Bill Clinton, William Jefferson Clinton's Second State of the Union Address
    Synonyms:
    call the tune

Questions about calling the shots

What is calling the shots the present participle and gerund of?
Calling the shots is the present participle and gerund of call the shots.

Words near calling the shots in the dictionary

  1. calling someone everything but a child of God
  2. calling someone's bluff
  3. calling someone's number
  4. calling station
  5. calling stations
  6. calling the shots
  7. calling the tune
  8. calling them as one sees them
  9. calling time
  10. calling to
  11. calling to account

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: calling the shots (page history and authors); call the shots (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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