zoom shot, n.

zoom-shot
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zoom-shot_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zoom shotnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zoom shot mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zoom shot. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zoom shot?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1930 | 0.002
1940 | 0.0042
1950 | 0.0053
1960 | 0.0058
1970 | 0.0073
1980 | 0.0089
1990 | 0.0098
2000 | 0.011
2010 | 0.01

### Where does the noun zoom shot come from?

Earliest known use

1930s

The earliest known use of the noun zoom shot is in the 1930s.

OED's earliest evidence for zoom shot is from 1930, in the Sheboygan Press (Sheboygan, Wisconsin).

### Nearby entries

1. zoometry, n. 1878–
2. zooming, n. 1892–
3. zooming, adj. 1904–
4. zoom lens, n. 1932–
5. zoomorph, n. 1883–
6. zoomorphic, adj. 1849–
7. zoomorphism, n. 1822–
8. zoomorphize, v. 1940–
9. zoomorphizing, n. 1895–
10. zoomorphosed, adj. 1955–
11. zoom shot, n.1930–
12. zoomy, adj. 1931–
13. zoomythic, adj. 1889–
14. zoon, n. 1851–1905
15. zoon, v. 1880–
16. zoon, int. 1863–
17. -zoon, comb. form
18. zoonate, n. 1798–1857
19. zoonerythrin, n. 1882–
20. zoonic, adj. 1798–1853
21. zooning, n. 1885–

## Meaning & use

1. 1930–
   A camera shot taken with a zoom lens.
   1. 1930

      > This mystery thriller also has one of the baffling ‘zoom’ shots.

      Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 25 August 6/4
   2. 1966

      > A pre-credit titles vertical zoom-shot is served as hors d'œuvre for those with appetites for impudently expert camera work.

      Listener 24 February 286/1
   3. 2012

      > The scene consists of five zoom shots.

      Film History vol. 24 102/1
   film
   1. long shot 1858–
      Film, Photography, and Television (originally U.S.). A shot which includes figures or scenery at a distance. Contrasted with close-up, n. C.1a.
   2. glass shot 1908–
      A shot taken through a sheet of glass bearing a painted or photographed image of part of the setting, which has been placed in front of the camera so…
   3. close-up 1912–
      A cinematographic shot or a photograph taken at close range in order to show the subject on a large scale in great detail.
   4. close shot 1917–
      A cinema or television shot taken at close range and hence showing the subject on a large scale in great detail. Cf. close-up, n. C.1a, close-medium…
   5. aerial shot 1920–
      A shot or footage taken from the air, esp. by a camera filming the action from an aircraft (now often a drone); (also) a photograph taken using…
   6. establishing shot 1921–
      A shot, typically a long shot, used near the beginning of a scene to establish the context in which the characters, objects, and places that are…
   7. angle shot 1922–
      Photography and Film. A shot in which the camera is pointing obliquely at the subject.
   8. medium shot 1925–
      A cinematographic or television shot intermediate between a close-up and a long shot.
   9. far-away 1926–
      Part of a cinema film taken at a distance, as distinguished from a ‘close-up’. ? Obsolete.
   10. travelling shot 1927–
       A shot in which the camera is in motion while filming; cf. tracking shot, n.
   11. money shot 1928–
       a. Sport a shot on which the outcome of a match, etc., depends; a very important shot; cf. money, n. compounds C.3; b. a provocative…
   12. zoom 1930–
       Cinematography and Photography. A camera shot that changes smoothly from a long shot to a close-up, or vice versa, without loss of focus; the act…
   13. zoom shot 1930–
       A camera shot taken with a zoom lens.
   14. process shot 1931–
       A shot made using process projection.
   15. close-medium shot 1933–
       A cinema or television shot which is focused on one specific subject, but does not show it in as close detail as a close-up.
   16. medium close-up 1933–
       A cinematographic or television shot intermediate between a medium shot (see medium shot, n.) and a close-up.
   17. reverse angle 1933–
       Film and Television. The opposite angle from which the subject was seen in the preceding shot; a shot filmed from this angle.
   18. reverse shot 1934–
       = reverse-angle shot, n. (b).
   19. three-shot 1934–
       A shot with three people in the frame.
   20. tilt shot 1934–
       A camera shot which pivots up or down in a vertical plane.
   21. medium-close shot 1937–
       = medium close-up, n.
   22. reaction shot 1937–
       A shot in a film, video, etc., depicting a person's response to an event, statement, or the like.
   23. tracking shot 1940–
       A shot during which the camera tracks (track, v.¹ I.3e).
   24. pan shot 1941–
   25. stock shot 1941–
       = library shot, n.
   26. Dutch angle 1947–
       A camera shot which is tilted so the frame is not level, esp. used to portray disorientation, tension, or unease.
   27. cheat shot 1948–60
       Cinematography. (See quots. and cf. cheat, v. 7). Also cheat shot.
   28. deep focus 1948–
       Photography and Cinematography. A camera technique or configuration utilizing a large depth of field, whereby objects at differing distances…
   29. master-scene 1948–
       = master shot, n.
   30. trucking shot 1948–
       Cinematography. (In sense 4 of the verb) trucking shot n. = tracking shot, n.
   31. two-shot 1949–
       A cinema or television shot of two people together.
   32. bridging shot 1951–
       A shot inserted to show a change in time, place, etc., between two scenes, for instance showing the pages of a calendar turning, or a train in motion.
   33. body shot 1952–
       A photograph or sequence of film of a person's entire body, rather than just the head. Cf. head shot, n. 2.
   34. library shot 1953–
       (See quot.).
   35. master shot 1953–
       A long shot of a complete sequence of action, which may be intercut with close-ups, etc., when edited.
   36. mid shot 1953–
       A shot taken at a medium distance; spec. one showing a person from the waist up.
   37. MS 1953–
       Medium shot.
   38. pullback 1957–
       Film. A shot in which the scene appears to recede (originally as a result of the camera being pulled back).
   39. MCU 1959–
       Medium close-up.
   40. following shot 1961–
       A shot during which the camera follows or tracks the movements of a subject; cf. tracking shot, n.
   41. come shot 1973–
       A sequence in an erotic or pornographic film showing ejaculation (cf. money shot, n. (b)).
   42. noddy 1982–
       In a filmed interview: a brief shot of the interviewer (or interviewee) appearing to be listening or nodding in agreement, usually recorded after…
   43. arc shot 1989–
       A continuous shot in which the camera moves around the subject being filmed.
   44. pop shot 1993–
       slang. = come shot, n. Cf. pop, v.¹ 12a.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Frequency

zoom shot typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zoom shot is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zoom shot, n., 1930–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1930 | 0.002
1940 | 0.0042
1950 | 0.0053
1960 | 0.0058
1970 | 0.0073
1980 | 0.0089
1990 | 0.0098
2000 | 0.011
2010 | 0.01

Originally published as part of the entry for zoom, n.

zoom, n. was revised in June 2017.