cheap shot
noun
1
: an act of deliberate roughness against a defenseless opponent especially in a contact sport
taking cheap shots at the quarterback
2
: a critical statement that takes unfair advantage of a known weakness of the target
Examples of cheap shot in a Sentence
He took a cheap shot at the quarterback.
a cheap shot to the back of the head
The remark about his weight was a cheap shot.
Recent Examples on the Web
This is instead of sliding the way Trevor Lawrence did on Sunday to prevent quarterbacks suffering concussions like the Jacksonville signal-caller did after taking a cheap shot from linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans.
—
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
But Oz was born to take every cheap shot presented by the cruelest of fates.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Trump has never proven disciplined when tempted with the cheap shot and there is no reason to think that has changed.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
After about 30 minutes, Trump moved back into his familiar stump-speech territory of preposterous boasts about his record and cheap shots at his rivals.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for cheap shot 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
But Oz was born to take every cheap shot presented by the cruelest of fates.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024
Trump has never proven disciplined when tempted with the cheap shot and there is no reason to think that has changed.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
After about 30 minutes, Trump moved back into his familiar stump-speech territory of preposterous boasts about his record and cheap shots at his rivals.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for cheap shot
Dictionary Entries Near cheap shot
Cite this Entry
“Cheap shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheap%20shot. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share