call the shots
English · Thesaurus
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call the shots
Where it comes from
From sports.
verb calls the shots · calling the shots · called the shots
-
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.
Similar: call the tune
Translations
Every language
verb to make decisions
| Español | cortar el bacalao, llevar la voz cantante, llevar la batuta, mandar, ser quien manda, ser el jefe |
|---|---|
| Français | décider, commander, mener le jeu, mener la danse, mener le branle, mener le bal |
| Deutsch | den Ton angeben, sagen, wo es langgeht |
| Italiano | condurre il gioco |
| Русский | зака́зывать му́зыку zakázyvatʹ múzyku, заправля́ть zapravljátʹ |
Talk about this word "call the shots." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/call%20the%20shots. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. call the shots. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/call%20the%20shots "call the shots." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/call%20the%20shots.Cite this
@misc{call_the_shots_2026,
title = {call the shots},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/call%20the%20shots},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
