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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According to authorities, Ward told them the fight and stabbing were self-defense, claiming the mother attacked and punched her several times in the face.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
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There are several leaf spotting diseases that can attack hydrangeas.—
Janet B. Carson,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Keeping up with the salvo of state and local building code changes is its own full-time job, said Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, a trade group for big builders.—
Ben Christopher,
Mercury News,
16 May 2025
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As for how all of this ties back to Bryan’s new publishing deal, Moreland launched the first social media salvo after news of the deal broke last week.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2025
Verb
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The post also slammed Springsteen for speaking out against the president while abroad rather than while on US soil.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
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At least seven people are dead in Missouri, including five killed after strong supercell storms that spurred tornado warnings slammed into St. Louis on Friday, tearing roofs off homes and causing several buildings to collapse.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
16 May 2025
Noun
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In September 1967, his unit was in the Con Thien area when they were bombarded by heavy enemy artillery and a rocket barrage.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
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That barrage prompted further salvos that led to the downing of Indian fighter jets (according to Pakistani and international media) and Pakistani jets (according to Indian media).—
AQIL SHAH,
Foreign Affairs,
23 May 2025
Verb
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After Trump initially insulted Springsteen and Swift on May 16, the American Federation of Musicians International stepped up to defend the artists.—
Anna Chan,
Billboard,
21 May 2025
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The young adults had been insulting each other over text messages in an argument over a girl.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 May 2025
Noun
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But a machine-gun volley hit him at the waist, nearly breaking him in two.—
Ann Goldstein,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
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The Starkey saga, meanwhile, is a surprising end to a recent volley of updates about his involvement with the Who.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Five months after beating New York Red Bulls for the club’s sixth MLS Cup title, the Galaxy lost the rematch 7-0 in New York — seven-nil — prompting an impromptu team scolding on the field by Vanney after the final whistle.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2025
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The moment a golden retriever and his feline friend were scolded by their owner for their behavior during her trip has left people in stitches.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 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 1 Jun. 2025.
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