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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of potshot
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2025
Or, at the very least, some positive signs that ease Messi’s annoyance, end the slew of disappointing results and give Beckham’s patience some respite from social media potshots by jubilant rivals.
—Martin Rogers, New York Times, 12 May 2025
Instead, Trump took a number of potshots at his sometime opponent during a Tuesday press conference, less than 48 hours after ordering the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz
as a federal penitentiary.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 7 May 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, Sean Payton wasn’t throwing a stray potshot at his special teams coordinator.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2025
Or, at the very least, some positive signs that ease Messi’s annoyance, end the slew of disappointing results and give Beckham’s patience some respite from social media potshots by jubilant rivals.
—Martin Rogers, New York Times, 12 May 2025
Instead, Trump took a number of potshots at his sometime opponent during a Tuesday press conference, less than 48 hours after ordering the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz
as a federal penitentiary.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 7 May 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
-
Democrats have attacked these anti-fraud policies as an effort to undermine safety net programs for the impoverished.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The latest war erupted on March 2, when, after holding its fire since a 2024 truce, Hezbollah launched a surprise barrage of missiles into northern Israel in retaliation for the United States and Israel attacking Iran.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Ducks bookended the game with a rousing opening salvo and a four-goal third period.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
An upset could be a significant salvo in the battle for the soul of the country.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The ruling was slammed by Democrats across the nation and by the three more liberal justices on the high court, who rejected the conservative majority’s characterization that its decision upheld the Voting Rights Act rather than gutted it.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Washington — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is putting tracking devices in airport vehicles after an Air Canada Express regional jet landing at LaGuardia Airport last month slammed into a fire truck on the runway, killing the plane’s two pilots.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On Saturday, Moscow pummeled the central city of Dnipro and other areas for more than twenty hours with barrages of missiles and drones, killing at least seven people.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
During the most recent war, videos circulated online of construction workers from China who filmed themselves stranded high in the air during missile barrages, afraid and without protection.—
Theia Chatelle,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rogers scolded Musk on Tuesday morning for his recent social media posts about the trial and threatened a gag order before the jury arrived in the courtroom.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Or tie scolds to the ducking stool again.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Esmee Brugts easily cut inside Giulia Gwinn to deliver the cross for Pajor to score with a volley.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Then, two minutes later, just after coming off the bench, 39-year-old Suarez doubled the lead with a decisive, powerful volley to the same corner.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Over just four days this month, Milei, an avid user of X, wrote 86 posts taunting and insulting journalists, according to an analysis of his feed between April 2 and 5 by prominent Argentine daily La Nación.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Late at night, the staff are known for insulting anyone brave enough to step up to the counter.—
Jimmy Jellinek,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Every stentorian chord became a hammer blow, flourishes intensified into fusillades, a tense pause into an apocalypse.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
While the latest fusillade of ambiguity couldn’t have come at a worse time for the advertising market—brands have yet to register their budgets for the 2026-27 upfront bazaar, in which they’re expected to commit to some $17 billion in broadcast and cable inventory—early sports sales remain brisk.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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