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
Biden, 81, and Trump, 77 on June 14, would do well to embrace all those challenges — along with harnessing the wisdom and experience of the aging population — rather than take cheap shots and feed stereotypes.
—
Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024
What a cheap shot Robert Hur took for bringing up the date of President Biden’s son’s death.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2024
It might be considered a cheap shot to show Trump undergoing liposuction and a hair transplant in queasy detail at a grave moment for someone close to him.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024
Bruins captain Brad Marchand was ruled out a second straight game after taking a hard hit from Sam Bennett in Game 3 -- a collision Boston called a cheap shot, but the officials did not agree.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for cheap shot 
Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024
What a cheap shot Robert Hur took for bringing up the date of President Biden’s son’s death.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2024
It might be considered a cheap shot to show Trump undergoing liposuction and a hair transplant in queasy detail at a grave moment for someone close to him.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024
Bruins captain Brad Marchand was ruled out a second straight game after taking a hard hit from Sam Bennett in Game 3 -- a collision Boston called a cheap shot, but the officials did not agree.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for cheap shot
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cheap shot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cheap shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheap%20shot. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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