Meanings
present singular third person shoots from the hip · participle present shooting from the hip · participle past shot from the hip · past shot from the hip
- literallyTo discharge a firearm while it is held near the hip, without taking time to aim via the gunsights.
“As to their rifle fire, it was useless.” “They shoot from the hip, and don’t seem to aim at anything in particular.”
1914, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The German War”, in The Contemptible Little Army - figurativelyTo speak or act quickly based on first impressions, without carefully studying the background information, wider context, etc.
Trump is shooting from the hip, spraying insults 360 degrees, telling lies, stoking fears and making threats that many in our military and the F.B.I. would refuse to implement.
2016 June 15, Thomas L. Friedman, “Opinion: Lessons of Hiroshima and Orlando”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 May 2018Synonyms: shoot from the lip
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo speak or act quickly based on first impressions, without carefully studying the background information, wider context, etc.
Translations
Finnish ampua lonkalta, heittää lonkalta
- ampua lonkaltadischarge a firearm
- heittää lonkaltaspeak or act quickly
German aus der Hüfte schießen, aus der Hüfte feuern
- aus der Hüfte schießendischarge a firearm
- aus der Hüfte feuerndischarge a firearm
- aus der Hüfte schießenspeak or act quickly
Polish strzelać z pasa, strzelić z pasa
- strzelać z pasadischarge a firearm
- strzelić z pasadischarge a firearm
- mleć językiem jak najętyspeak or act quickly
- gadać, co ślina na język przyniesiespeak or act quickly
- mówić trzy po trzyspeak or act quickly
Russian стрелять от бедра, импровизировать
- стрелять от бедра (streljatʹ ot bedra)discharge a firearm
- импровизировать (improvizirovatʹ)speak or act quickly
Swedish skjuta från höften, skjuta från höften
- skjuta från höftendischarge a firearm
- skjuta från höftenspeak or act quickly
- höftaspeak or act quickly
Cite this entry
shoot from the hip. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoot%20from%20the%20hip
“shoot from the hip.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoot%20from%20the%20hip. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shoot from the hip,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoot%20from%20the%20hip.
Source: shoot from the hip on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.