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
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 12 Nov. 2025
No, Sean Payton wasn’t throwing a stray potshot at his special teams coordinator.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2025
As evidenced by this weekend’s flurry of festivities around its 50th anniversary, SNL has survived all the potshots.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025
Taking a potshot is a 90-day misdemeanor, plus fines.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Noun
No one takes potshots at Washington or Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, the usual lineup of Founding Fathers.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 12 Nov. 2025
No, Sean Payton wasn’t throwing a stray potshot at his special teams coordinator.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2025
As evidenced by this weekend’s flurry of festivities around its 50th anniversary, SNL has survived all the potshots.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025
Taking a potshot is a 90-day misdemeanor, plus fines.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potshot
Verb
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Meanwhile, supporters insist their goal is not to attack a student, but to defend women’s sports.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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Both sides accuse the other of intentionally attacking civilian targets.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Katz promised Monday’s salvo won’t be the last such attack.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
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The initiative is the latest salvo in a battle that has pushed state budget priorities through the ballot box.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Wanting to avoid running a red light, the trailer made a right-hand turn on yellow and slammed into a Santa Clarita Transit bus and two vehicles near the intersection of Golden Valley Road, according to the Sheriff’s Department.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
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One of these cosmic rays for instance, dubbed the Amaterasu particle (after the Japanese sun goddess) slammed into Earth in 2021 with an energy 40 million times greater than particles slammed together at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Luke Torrance led the barrage for the Chargers, going 4-for-5 with three runs, a double, a homer and two RBIs.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
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And yet in the face of an extraordinary barrage of attacks, Leo appears to have been unfazed.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The feeling was less substantial, more childish, like expecting someone to walk in and scold you for doing something wrong and not knowing where to hide.—
Francesco Pacifico,
The Dial,
12 May 2026
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Stumbling on to this ruse, Antoine’s friend and manager Armand (Gilles Lellouche) immediately can tell Suzanne is a fake and scolds her for exploiting his friend’s grief.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Toews’ deflection bounced high from the left face-off dot toward Wedgewood’s net — but before the goalie could control the rebound, Hartman swatted it like a pickleball volley in mid-air and past the Colorado goaltender for a 3-0 Minnesota lead.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
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The Idaho Statesman’s recent top stories span Idaho Power’s bid to build two new natural gas plants, a Boise State fan’s decision to drop serious cash on a chunk of the famous blue turf and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean’s verbal volleys at the Legislature in her State of the City speech.—
Chadd Cripe. Produced with AI assistance,
Idaho Statesman,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Someone stood up and insulted us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
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Tuttle’s fearless inquisition won’t insult your intelligence, ask your mercy or hogtie your feelings.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Noun
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But the two leading Democratic candidates endured a fusillade of incoming fire from opponents who still hope to claim one of the two spots in a runoff, following the June 2 primary election.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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Every stentorian chord became a hammer blow, flourishes intensified into fusillades, a tense pause into an apocalypse.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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