throw shade
idiomatic phrase
informal
: to publicly express contempt or disrespect for someone or something especially in an indirect or subtle way : criticize
… answered a question to the media that seemed to throw shade at his former teammate …—
Farbod Esnaashari
Farbod Esnaashari… was accused of throwing shade at the singer in a now-deleted TikTok [video].—Leyla Mohammed
Leyla MohammedWhen the vendor typed "excuse me," my friend assumed the vendor was throwing major shade his way …—Jennifer Silverman
Jennifer Silverman… haters took to the comment section and threw major shade at the star …—Julia Teti
Julia TetiExamples of throw shade in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many fans expressed their excitement, while others did what the internet does best and threw shade.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 24 Sep. 2025
She was hit with a $500 fine in July for throwing shade at the refs in a TikTok video, then again for $1,500 in early August for calling out the officials for being inconsistent in their foul calling.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
With both sides of the feud seemingly more than willing to throw shade upon the other, one imagines a Cristobal Tapia de Veer acceptance speech could include a few choice comments.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
Yet readers are meant to sympathize with the heroine at this moment, not with the woman who’s throwing shade.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel seemed to inadvertently throw shade at Bill Belichick after the NFL legend flopped in his debut with North Carolina earlier this week.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Trump continued to throw shade at Swift in the following months, including using social media to celebrate the moment Swift was booed at the Super Bowl in February.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 26 Aug. 2025
Uchil is throwing shade at Activision’s Call Of Duty franchise, which released – and later took down – a skin of the celebrity in Modern Warfare II.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The post in question threw shade at Kidman for speaking out about cosmetic surgeries.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 24 Sep. 2025
She was hit with a $500 fine in July for throwing shade at the refs in a TikTok video, then again for $1,500 in early August for calling out the officials for being inconsistent in their foul calling.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
With both sides of the feud seemingly more than willing to throw shade upon the other, one imagines a Cristobal Tapia de Veer acceptance speech could include a few choice comments.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
Yet readers are meant to sympathize with the heroine at this moment, not with the woman who’s throwing shade.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel seemed to inadvertently throw shade at Bill Belichick after the NFL legend flopped in his debut with North Carolina earlier this week.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Trump continued to throw shade at Swift in the following months, including using social media to celebrate the moment Swift was booed at the Super Bowl in February.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 26 Aug. 2025
Uchil is throwing shade at Activision’s Call Of Duty franchise, which released – and later took down – a skin of the celebrity in Modern Warfare II.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The post in question threw shade at Kidman for speaking out about cosmetic surgeries.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Throw shade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throw%20shade. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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