call the shots

present singular third person calls the shots · participle present calling the shots · participle past called the shots · past called the shots

1. USTo make the decisions; to be in charge; to give orders.

   The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Iran’s elections are insignificant. Regardless of who wins, the argument goes, in the end, it’s the supreme leader who calls the shots.

   2021 June 22, Ali Vaez, Dina Esfandiary, “The Hard-Liners Won in Iran. That’s Not All Bad News.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2021

   3 more examples

   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

   Myanmar's Shan state, which borders both China and Thailand, is the wild wild east. And in many parts of the state, it's well-armed ethnic militias, not Myanmar's military, who call the shots.

   2019 July 4, Michael Sullivan, “In Myanmar, Methamphetamine, Synthetic Drug Production Soars”, in NPR, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2021

   Israel’s strikes on Monday were launched just hours after Trump had called the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to urge him not to retaliate immediately for an Iranian missile attack on Sunday night, with the US president saying: “I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu]^([sic]) doesn’t call the shots.”

   2026 June 8, Mark Saunokonoko, “Israel strikes Iran despite Trump plea as Middle East crisis threatens to escalate”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms: call the tune