sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshü-tər 
plural sharpshooters
1
: a person who is highly skilled in shooting a weapon (such as a rifle) at a mark or target
a police sharpshooter
Determined to prevent any attempt on Lincoln's life, General Winfield Scott had placed sharpshooters on the roofs of buildings along the avenue …—
David Herbert Donald
David Herbert Donald2
sports
: a consistently accurate shooter (as in basketball)
A 6' 9" sharpshooter who several NBA scouts predict will be a first-round pick …—Tim Crothers
Tim Crothers3
: any of various large leafhoppers that have powerful hind legs with spines on the tibia
The sharpshooter uses a needlelike mouthpart to suck fluids from trees and plants. As it goes from one to the next, it spreads diseases that can wipe out orange groves and other crops.—Carl Zimmer
Carl ZimmerIn Temecula, disease-carrying sharpshooters have turned some vineyards into wastelands.—Steve Schmidt
Steve Schmidt
Examples of sharpshooter in a Sentence
the police stationed sharpshooters on rooftops all along the route of the presidential motorcade
Recent Examples on the Web
Golden State’s sharpshooter didn’t have much of a leg to stand on in the moment, as the Pelicans won the frame by 23, taking a 62-48 lead into halftime.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
While Gottlieb, who played collegiately at Brown, also was a sharpshooter in practice, Otto is running through screens and taking contact.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
His sense of egalitarianism is testament to his cogent understanding of functions in a team – not everyone can be a sharpshooter, yet roles like cooks and mechanics are equally indispensable in the mechanics of overall mission success.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Second, the Jayhawks need to add a sharpshooter from the transfer portal to slot into McCullar’s spot.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Three-point sharpshooters Katherine Garr, Vallory Kuelker and Jolyn Ding are expected to return as seniors.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
The sharpshooters’ powerful urination method is akin to a human trying to dislodge a dense, sticky, beach ball-sized object from one of their hands.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Gutierrez — the daughter of Hollywood sharpshooter Thell Reed who took a job that others with more experience had turned down — had asked for the opportunity to provide additional gun training for Baldwin.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024
The sharpshooter scored 10 of his 13 in the first half.
—Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
While Gottlieb, who played collegiately at Brown, also was a sharpshooter in practice, Otto is running through screens and taking contact.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
His sense of egalitarianism is testament to his cogent understanding of functions in a team – not everyone can be a sharpshooter, yet roles like cooks and mechanics are equally indispensable in the mechanics of overall mission success.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Second, the Jayhawks need to add a sharpshooter from the transfer portal to slot into McCullar’s spot.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Three-point sharpshooters Katherine Garr, Vallory Kuelker and Jolyn Ding are expected to return as seniors.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
The sharpshooters’ powerful urination method is akin to a human trying to dislodge a dense, sticky, beach ball-sized object from one of their hands.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Gutierrez — the daughter of Hollywood sharpshooter Thell Reed who took a job that others with more experience had turned down — had asked for the opportunity to provide additional gun training for Baldwin.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024
The sharpshooter scored 10 of his 13 in the first half.
—Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sharpshooter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sharpshooter
Cite this Entry
“Sharpshooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharpshooter. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshüt-ər
: one skilled in shooting : a good marksman
sharpshooting
noun
-ˌshüt-iŋ
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