1 B1 informal
To casually practice shooting basketballs, often without formal drills or coaching
"The players arrived early to shoot around before the coach called them in for the team meeting."
shoot around
B1 informal intransitive
To practice shooting basketballs casually, or to move/spread rapidly in different directions
In plain English
To practice shooting in basketball, or for something to travel quickly in many directions
What does "shoot around" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
For something (light, pain, liquid) to move or spread rapidly in multiple directions
"A sharp pain shot around his lower back when he tried to lift the box."
Usage tip
Sense 1 is a very common American English sports term. Sense 2 (spreading or darting around) is more general and less frequent. A 'shootaround' (noun) refers to a light team practice session before a game in the NBA.
Words that pair with "shoot around"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
gym practice hoop court before the game players
How to conjugate "shoot around"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
shoot around
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shoots around
he/she/it
Past simple
shooted around
yesterday
Past participle
shooted around
have + pp
-ing form
shooting around
continuous
Hear "shoot around" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "shoot around" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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