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 SchmidtExamples of sharpshooter in a Sentence
the police stationed sharpshooters on rooftops all along the route of the presidential motorcade
Recent Examples on the Web
The Hornets sharpshooter was lethal from distance with eight triples, breaking Charlotte’s franchise record for the most 3-pointers by a rookie.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Fudd missed a seventh 3-pointer — 11 in a row including her 0-for-4 performance Monday against Notre Dame — to start the second, but the Huskies’ sharpshooter wasn’t shaken and finally knocked down her first shot from deep 90 seconds after Strong connected.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2026
After a timeout, the Tigers drew up a look for sharpshooter Jacob Crews, the Southeastern Conference’s 3-point leader, who drained it to give Mizzou a 72-71 lead with 18 seconds left.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2026
Yet Beverly could not get closer than nine, and the lead jumped back to 15 after back-to-back threes from junior sharpshooter Jack Arnold that made it 49-34 after three.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sharpshooter
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.
Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Fudd missed a seventh 3-pointer — 11 in a row including her 0-for-4 performance Monday against Notre Dame — to start the second, but the Huskies’ sharpshooter wasn’t shaken and finally knocked down her first shot from deep 90 seconds after Strong connected.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2026
After a timeout, the Tigers drew up a look for sharpshooter Jacob Crews, the Southeastern Conference’s 3-point leader, who drained it to give Mizzou a 72-71 lead with 18 seconds left.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2026
Yet Beverly could not get closer than nine, and the lead jumped back to 15 after back-to-back threes from junior sharpshooter Jack Arnold that made it 49-34 after three.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sharpshooter
Cite this Entry
“Sharpshooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharpshooter. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshüt-ər
: one skilled in shooting : a good marksman
sharpshooting
noun
-ˌshüt-iŋ
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
