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
-
Just attacking everything with strikes.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
-
Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Woodard scored on a feed from Taylor Watts less than a minute into the second quarter, but Westford exploded for a five-goal salvo that resulted in a 6-4 lead.—
Jason Cooke,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2026
-
The Cubs hoped Thursday’s win would be the start of a turnaround that is needed following an abysmal 5-17 stretch, which came after a 20-3 salvo that included a pair of 10-game winning streaks.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The actor previously slammed Bass for leaving the country on a trip to Ghana as the blazes erupted.—
Ashley Hume , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
The Massachusetts Republican Party is slamming both Markey and Healey for backing Platner.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Anyone who arrived carrying an award was met with a barrage of congratulations and cheers.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
-
Iran launched additional barrages throughout Monday, targeting Israeli airbases in Nevatim and Tel Nof and a petrochemical plant in Haifa, according to a statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Princess Charlotte scolded her little brother Prince Louis during Trooping the Colour in 2024.—
Alicia Brunker,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
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Four years ago, Infantino scolded critics during a news conference ahead of the opener in Qatar.—
Carlos Rodriguez,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Noun
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The second shot was an aggressive volley that was just about returned, but her third saw Williams swat the return volley away, accompanied by that trademark grunt that’s echoed around tennis venues for decades.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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After having put Brazil ahead minutes earlier, Richarlison popped a cross from Vinícius Júnior into the air, spun, and struck a spectacular acrobatic volley past Serbia’s helpless goalkeeper.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Reluctant to name favorite designers and boutiques for fear of insulting others, the actress spoke of her fondness for cashmere.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
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Then, in 2022, a court convicted him to 31 months in prison for insulting officials from the Supreme Election Council.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Iran’s military said the fusillade was a warning.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 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 14 Jun. 2026.
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