pot·shot
ˈpät-ˌshät 
1
: a shot taken from ambush or at a random or easy target
2
: a critical remark made in a random or sporadic manner
potshot; potshotting
: to take a potshot
: to attack or shoot with a potshot
Examples of potshot in a Sentence
Noun
She uses her newspaper column to take potshots at anyone who disagrees with her.
Verb
The comic ended the show with a rant in which he potshot an assortment of celebrities.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Since the Game 1 New York collapse at home, pundits and fans alike have been taking potshots at the Knicks.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
That and some other issues were indirect potshots at Newsom, who has occasionally bucked the unions.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 15 May 2025
Thankfully, Cronenberg is less interested in taking potshots at his vapid characters (played by the game likes of Julianne Moore, John Cusack, and Evan Bird channeling Shia LaBeouf) than in unearthing the sadness and madness that gnaws at their superficial dreams.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Set in New Mexico and starring Joaquin Phoenix as a conservative small-town sheriff squaring off with Pedro Pascal’s liberal mayor, the film takes potshots across political divides, nailing some targets better than others.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Since the Game 1 New York collapse at home, pundits and fans alike have been taking potshots at the Knicks.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
That and some other issues were indirect potshots at Newsom, who has occasionally bucked the unions.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 15 May 2025
Thankfully, Cronenberg is less interested in taking potshots at his vapid characters (played by the game likes of Julianne Moore, John Cusack, and Evan Bird channeling Shia LaBeouf) than in unearthing the sadness and madness that gnaws at their superficial dreams.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potshot. Accessed 17 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share