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
Byalexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2024
Key bandmembers Waters and David Gilmour (pictured above right and left, respectively, in the early 1970s), have been feuding for decades, taking public potshots at each other while recently trying to find enough common ground to close a deal.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Members of the French Grande Armée—which included many Protestants and Catholics from Germany, Italy, and Poland—had defecated in the Kremlin’s Orthodox churches and taken potshots at the holy icons.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
Witness Donald Trump recently questioning the racial identity of his opponent, Kamala Harris, a race-baiting potshot that dredges up ingrained prejudices against biracial Americans that stretch back to the antebellum South.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for potshot 
Noun
Bolstered by hubris and net worth, these billionaires have loudly aligned themselves with their preferred candidate, taken potshots at the opposition, and flogged their personal policy prescriptions—often in feisty social media spats with one another.
—Byalexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2024
Key bandmembers Waters and David Gilmour (pictured above right and left, respectively, in the early 1970s), have been feuding for decades, taking public potshots at each other while recently trying to find enough common ground to close a deal.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Members of the French Grande Armée—which included many Protestants and Catholics from Germany, Italy, and Poland—had defecated in the Kremlin’s Orthodox churches and taken potshots at the holy icons.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
Witness Donald Trump recently questioning the racial identity of his opponent, Kamala Harris, a race-baiting potshot that dredges up ingrained prejudices against biracial Americans that stretch back to the antebellum South.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for potshot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potshot
Verb
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Governments around the world have trained eagles to attack unmanned aircraft.Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
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The accuser says she was attacked by the two rappers at an after-show party following the Video Music Awards.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Now, as traders bet the incoming Trump administration could open the crypto floodgates, Musk's latest salvo against the spiraling $36 trillion debt pile have sparked calls for Musk's Doge department of government efficiency to back the Bitcoin Act of 2024.Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
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This was the first in a salvo of data releases expected this week that can provide insight into the strength of the labor market.Sean Conlon,Lisa Kailai Han,Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Nick Jonas interview:Singer reflects on fatherhood, grief while promoting 'The Good Half' Fans slam Nick Jonas for Elon Musk post Several users took to the comments section to criticize Jonas' post, speculating the pop star is a supporter of Musk and his political ally Trump.Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
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Despite its popularity, some critics have slammed the show's portrayal of women.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That excitement likely boiled over into an overly enthusiastic barrage.R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec. 2024
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Days of Repentance was retaliation for Iran’s biggest missile attack against Israel to date, the October 1, 2024, ballistic missile barrage against Israel, codenamed Operation True Promise 2 by Tehran.Paul Iddon, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Now, in elevating him to one of America’s premier diplomatic postings, Trump has managed to both insult our oldest ally and flout whatever remaining standards there are for holding a senior U.S. position.Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2024
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And now insult me with the dubious claim about your self-serving fiction being more important than the truth.Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The Duke of Sussex's latest contribution to Netflix triggered a volley of negative reviews last week and has now been given an audience score on Rotten Tomatoes of 24 percent.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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With Spain leading 2-1, Endrick came on at half-time for his first appearance at the Bernabeu and produced a fine volley to give a glimpse of his personality to his future coaches.Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The Senate hauled Live Nation’s president and CFO in for a public scolding.Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
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The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s mother had sent him an email scolding him for abusing women.Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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What about Chase answering Jackson’s fusillade with 212 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the second half, even as the Ravens knew Joe Burrow would be looking for No. 1 on all the biggest downs?Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 8 Nov. 2024
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Like a similar fusillade from Tehran in April, the main effect of the barrage was to stoke worries that Israel’s retaliation would ignite a regional war that drags in the United States, and opens whole new realms of uncertainty.Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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