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
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Soon, the pair are playing long-distance chess, air drumming, and taking competitive potshots at one another’s dishware.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Instead Trump has taken verbal potshots at California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and President Biden, suggesting their actions are to blame for the failure to contain the fires.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Noun
In a separate tweet, Ackman also took potshots at U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Soon, the pair are playing long-distance chess, air drumming, and taking competitive potshots at one another’s dishware.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Instead Trump has taken verbal potshots at California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and President Biden, suggesting their actions are to blame for the failure to contain the fires.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potshot
Verb
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After the quake evacuation, the inmates were still outside of the cells when a group suddenly attacked guards, seized their weapons, opened fire and fled, said Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan.—
Brittany Williams,
Arkansas Online,
4 June 2025
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The pathogen is known as Fusarium graminearum, which can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice and sicken livestock and people, the FBI said in a court filing in Detroit.—
Ed White,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The president’s comments on the tax exemption status appear as part of an ongoing salvo with Harvard and higher education, particularly Ivy League schools.—
Julia Mueller,
The Hill,
2 May 2025
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The latest salvo: a preliminary budget request from the White House that would cut $4.7 billion, or more than half the agency's $9 billion budget.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
2 May 2025
Verb
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But, in the end, Berg’s life became proof of a darker truth, one that is newly relevant in the Trump era: doors that swing open can also slam shut.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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President Donald Trump said his close relationship with Elon Musk might be over after the world's richest man and former top White House adviser spent the past few days slamming the president's signature tax and policy bill.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch and Matt Shaw added to the home run barrage as the Cubs evened the series before a second straight sellout of 41,084, which included thousands of road-tripping Cubs fans.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
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Russia conducted its second-largest missile and drone attack on Ukraine since the start of its invasion in 2022, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) whose graph illustrate the response to Kyiv's drone barrage on Russian military airfields.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Three players told the Washington Post that Spirit coach Richie Burke had repeatedly screamed at them, insulted them and threatened to bench them, during games and at practice.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The title comes up over a blue sky in orange font and goes on to insult the Celtics as much as possible.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
Noun
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But Alcaraz roared back to win the third set, punctuating it with a forehand volley into the open court that snapped Sinner’s streak of 32 straight sets won at majors.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
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After Sabalenka's final volley landed just wide of the line, Gauff collapsed to the red clay of Roland-Garros, her hands high in the air.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 June 2025
Verb
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At another meeting in May 2024, Grippo scolded female employees for not working hard enough, although the team was high-performing and employees worked long hours, the lawsuit said.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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In January at the annual World Economic Forum, President Donald Trump scolded Brian Moynihan, the CEO of Bank of America.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Tung kept UConn in the game despite a fusillade from Penn State in the first period.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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