: to become angry at someone who has given one bad news
Examples of blame/shoot the messenger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMark Kelly China’s economy is struggling, and the Communist Party’s response is to shoot the messenger.—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2023 Don’t dwell on the manner in which the breakup was delivered, and don’t shoot the messenger.—Meredith Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2023 But, in general—and, don’t shoot the messenger—many agree that cooking with charcoal tastes better, but cooking with gas is more convenient (albeit far more expensive).—Mike Richard, menshealth.com, 19 Apr. 2023 Please, even if Burrow struck you as being a bit cavalier, don’t shoot the messenger.—Jarrett Bell, The Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2022 So, sleep well, remember that creepy looking spiders probably won’t hurt you, and don’t shoot the messenger.—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 5 Sep. 2022 Then again, Revkin is a frequent target of climate partisans who often feel the urge to play shoot the messenger.—Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 22 Feb. 2013
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blame/shoot the messenger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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