shot heard round the world
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
An event that has a significant and far-reaching impact
Literally: a gunshot heard globally
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The assassination was the shot heard round the world, sparking a global conflict
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
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Common questions
What does “shot heard round the world” mean?
An event that has a significant and far-reaching impact Literally: a gunshot heard globally
Is “shot heard round the world” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
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