as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
The comic ended the show with a rant in which he potshot an assortment of celebrities.
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Recent Examples of potshot
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2024
The high-speed pursuit includes a procession of would-be sharpshooters taking potshots at her, including Yippie & the Kiyays, Sadie the Stabber & the Crazyboys, Rowdy Ricky & the Red Flags, and the mega-jacked Derk Delusional (the One to Outrun).
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2024
The melodramatic Bea often takes potshots at spirited newcomer Ndidi (the deft Aisha Sougou) over coveted customers in some of the play’s funniest moments.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Elsewhere, Trump took his now-familiar potshots at electric vehicle mandates, green energy, and Harris, drawing laughter from the crowd.
—Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Noun
New Hampshire’s lower chamber has four hundred people, nearly double the second-largest state legislature in the country, so there were plenty of representatives willing to take potshots at the hawk and belittle the children who wanted to honor it.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2024
The high-speed pursuit includes a procession of would-be sharpshooters taking potshots at her, including Yippie & the Kiyays, Sadie the Stabber & the Crazyboys, Rowdy Ricky & the Red Flags, and the mega-jacked Derk Delusional (the One to Outrun).
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2024
The melodramatic Bea often takes potshots at spirited newcomer Ndidi (the deft Aisha Sougou) over coveted customers in some of the play’s funniest moments.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Elsewhere, Trump took his now-familiar potshots at electric vehicle mandates, green energy, and Harris, drawing laughter from the crowd.
—Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potshot
Verb
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Police are searching for three suspects who were caught on video repeatedly attacking a 61-year-old trans woman outside of her convenience store in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
29 Apr. 2025
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Particularly his ability to do things at such high speed and to help begin attacking moves in his own half.—
Philipp Lahm,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Other countries, including China, are already installing retaliatory tariffs — a sign that Trump’s move may have been the opening salvo in a trade war that could significantly slow the global economy.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
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Even before Trump's tariff salvo, European officials had been debating potential imposition of digital services taxes aimed at large U.S. tech firms, many of which are based in or politically aligned with Republican strongholds such as Texas and Florida.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In a May 1 speech that mixed politics with the inspirational language typical of commencement addresses, Trump slammed the administration of former President Joe Biden as well as judges blocking his immigration moves.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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The plane slammed into the two-story, single-family homes around 2:10 p.m. – igniting a fire and sending huge plumes of smoke into the air.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
Noun
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When more officers got to the scene, while officers held Nichols' arms and hit him with a barrage of kicks, punches, baton strikes and pepper spray.—
Jack Armstrong,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
The visitors weathered a ninth-minute goal from Spanish defender Jordi Alba in the second leg of the semifinals, then broke out just after halftime with a barrage led by in-form striker Brian White and emerging midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.—
Jeff Rueter,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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On a trip into town, Lucas gets into a scuffle with another boy who’s insulting their late mother, hurting him.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2025
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Later, the man Husk is chasing, Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult), follows him to a hunting ground and insults Husk’s chain-smoking, suggesting his smell keeps the elk away.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
Noun
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In between those strikes, Bruno Fernandes almost scored a spectacular volley from Dalot’s long pass, his shot thumping off the crossbar.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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After the volley of letters, the future of the Trust Act is unclear.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Today's top stories President Trump scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday after Russia launched a deadly strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
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That, in the end, is the heart of the spectacle of Noem’s militaristic videos and Leavitt’s scolding and lies.—
Constance Grady,
Vox,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Lately, the federal judiciary has responded with impressive speed and fortitude to Trump’s fusillade of executive orders and other actions.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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Some of the humor has a barbed, geopolitical aim in a war for the world’s hearts and minds — see the Chinese government’s fusillade of memes — but political scientists say that, for many people, humor is a natural response to stressful times.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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