a shot across the/someone's bow(s)
idiom
: a warning to not do something or to stop doing something
The fine is a shot across the bow to an industry that thinks it can ignore the law.
Examples of a shot across the/someone's bow(s) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This brings us to today’s news, which is a shot across the bow by Coralogix against the big dogs, not just metaphorically but also literally: e.g., Datadog, Dynatrace, New Relic, AppDynamics, Splunk and Acceldata.
—
Dean Debiase, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
This is a shot across the bow of the rest of the technologically advanced world.
—Mark Minevich, Time, 9 June 2025
In a new podcast interview, the private spaceflight investor, a Musk ally, said the move might have been a shot across the bow at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Does the president actually want to bring film production back to the U.S. or is this a shot across the bow at Hollywood, a home for many Trump critics like George Clooney?
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 May 2025
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Dean Debiase, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
This is a shot across the bow of the rest of the technologically advanced world.
—Mark Minevich, Time, 9 June 2025
In a new podcast interview, the private spaceflight investor, a Musk ally, said the move might have been a shot across the bow at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Does the president actually want to bring film production back to the U.S. or is this a shot across the bow at Hollywood, a home for many Trump critics like George Clooney?
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for a shot across the/someone's bow(s)
Cite this Entry
“A shot across the/someone's bow(s).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20shot%20across%20the%2Fsomeone%27s%20bow%28s%29. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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