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

2

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

3

: 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

In Temecula, disease-carrying sharpshooters have turned some vineyards into wastelands.

—Steve Schmidt

Synonyms

• marksman
• shooter
• shot

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

The sharpshooter thrived coming off the bench for the Sun over the last 16 games of the year. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025

Listen to this article 2 min Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had a heated exchange after the Indiana Fever sharpshooter fouled the Chicago Sky forward in the third quarter of their matchup Saturday. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2025

The bench sharpshooter also has been quiet this postseason, totaling 16 points (the fewest of any rotation player) over six games. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025

At the time of the event, the sharpshooter couldn’t recall the actor’s actual name and resorted to calling him by the name of the fictional thief. —Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sharpshooter

noun

sharp·​shoot·​er ˈshärp-ˌshüt-ər 

: one skilled in shooting : a good marksman

sharpshooting

-ˌshüt-iŋ

noun