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
Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
The potshots continue Despite the tariff truce, both sides have continued to take swipes at each other in other areas, underscoring the fragility of the strained ties.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 May 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
Taking a potshot is a 90-day misdemeanor, plus fines.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for potshot
Noun
Set in New Mexico and starring Joaquin Phoenix as a conservative small-town sheriff squaring off with Pedro Pascal’s liberal mayor, the film takes potshots across political divides, nailing some targets better than others.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
The potshots continue Despite the tariff truce, both sides have continued to take swipes at each other in other areas, underscoring the fragility of the strained ties.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 May 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
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
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Mobs attacked television vans and set cars ablaze as overrun hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The complication is not well understood but appears to be the result of the virus prompting the immune system to attack a certain protein that some brain cells produce.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The critique marks their latest salvo in the escalating debate over whether to repair the existing building or move City Hall offices elsewhere.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
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But for a strategy like this to work, the PLA will need many of them to be fired in one salvo, with a very high attrition rate to be expected.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump took to social media during the big game’s second half to slam Bad Bunny.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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The parents of the three Miami Yacht Club summer campers who were killed last summer when a 60-foot barge slammed into their sailboat sued the company that owns the barge, alleging negligence and irresponsible hiring.—
Milena Malaver,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That area came under attack from gunfire and a precision mortar barrage, resulting in the deaths of security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.—
ERIC TUCKER,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
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The score is a comical barrage of harp strums, as if heaven’s angels have gotten good and drunk.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
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Young kids paddled near the shallow edges and bigger kids jumped off the cliffs above the swimming hole, causing the adults to gasp and scold.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Johnson’s remarks were the latest volley in the public back-and-forth between the two officials who are at odds over how to respond to federal immigration raids.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The Super Bowl is just the latest volley in a public relations vibe war that has been playing out in increasingly public settings, as both companies fight for market share and prepare to launch behemoth IPOs later this year.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To do so would be rude, politically perilous, insulting to our biggest trade partner and just plain weird.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Even if their tastes differ from yours, true friends shouldn’t insult your honest self-expression.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fifteen ejected cartridge casings were left in the street when, prosecutors argue, Bell-Johnson stopped his fusillade.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 4,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Feb. 2026
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But Trump’s relationship with Musk eventually dissolved, resulting in Musk’s departure in May and a fusillade of disparaging messages between the two men on social media.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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