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
-
Rather than attacking all rapidly growing cells, as chemotherapy does, the drug targets a key cancer-driving pathway known as KRAS, which is involved in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
-
Akindahunsi is accused of attacking several women the night of May 28.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 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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Williams belted a walk-off moonshot for a 5-4 win, and Canady slammed the door shut for a 2-0 clincher.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
The teenager received a standing ovation before Cowell slammed his Golden Buzzer.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
3 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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Publicly, Ingoglia has become known for barnstorming the state to hold choreographed press conferences scolding cities and counties for wasteful spending.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
Messi seemed to scold La Familia at one point with a finger wag aimed in their direction, showing his displeasure with their protest.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 May 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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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 11 Jun. 2026.
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