sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshü-tər 
plural sharpshooters
1
: a person who is highly skilled in shooting a weapon (such as a rifle) at a mark or target
a police sharpshooter
Determined to prevent any attempt on Lincoln's life, General Winfield Scott had placed sharpshooters on the roofs of buildings along the avenue …—
David Herbert Donald
David Herbert Donald2
sports
: a consistently accurate shooter (as in basketball)
A 6' 9" sharpshooter who several NBA scouts predict will be a first-round pick …—Tim Crothers
Tim Crothers3
: any of various large leafhoppers that have powerful hind legs with spines on the tibia
The sharpshooter uses a needlelike mouthpart to suck fluids from trees and plants. As it goes from one to the next, it spreads diseases that can wipe out orange groves and other crops.—Carl Zimmer
Carl ZimmerIn Temecula, disease-carrying sharpshooters have turned some vineyards into wastelands.—Steve Schmidt
Steve Schmidt
Examples of sharpshooter in a Sentence
the police stationed sharpshooters on rooftops all along the route of the presidential motorcade
Recent Examples on the Web
The Washington Wizards moved up two spots via a trade with the New York Knicks to select George, the 6-8 swingman and sharpshooter, who was among the players invited to be in the Green Room at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the big occasion Wednesday night.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 June 2024
Too much room leaves a lethal sharpshooter like Ionescu with an easy deep shot.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024
Redick’s reputation as a sharpshooter is based on his offensive prowess.
—Dylan Manfre, Sportico.com, 20 June 2024
The University of Iowa's record-breaking sharpshooter Caitlin Clark might be the biggest star in the college game, man or woman, but the growing popularity of the women's bracket goes beyond her influence.
—Joel Mathis, theweek, 22 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sharpshooter 
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 June 2024
Too much room leaves a lethal sharpshooter like Ionescu with an easy deep shot.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024
Redick’s reputation as a sharpshooter is based on his offensive prowess.
—Dylan Manfre, Sportico.com, 20 June 2024
The University of Iowa's record-breaking sharpshooter Caitlin Clark might be the biggest star in the college game, man or woman, but the growing popularity of the women's bracket goes beyond her influence.
—Joel Mathis, theweek, 22 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sharpshooter
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sharpshooter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sharpshooter
Cite this Entry
“Sharpshooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharpshooter. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshüt-ər
: one skilled in shooting : a good marksman
sharpshooting
noun
-ˌshüt-iŋ
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