How to Use a shot across the/someone's bow(s) in a Sentence
a shot across the/someone's bow(s)
idiom-
China replied with a shot across the bow on rare earths.
— Ben Harburg, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2023 -
The baby formula shortage is a shot across the bow of the FDA.
— Peter J. Pitts, STAT, 3 June 2022 -
The case was a boon to white-collar lawyers and a shot across the bow of international sports.
— Tariq Panja, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2024 -
Uh, Dan Tierney took a shot across the bow at president Biden.
— Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 June 2022 -
Before Arone and Kindred’s connection ramped up, King Philip (9-2) opened the game with a shot across the bow.
— Brendan Kurie, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Nov. 2021 -
Experts said the move is significant, but still short of firing a shot across the bow.
— Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 7 June 2022 -
The right-wing has been aiming for fetal personhood for a long time, and this ruling may be a shot across the bow from that cause.
— Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2024 -
This is a shot across the bow to proponents of the climate security frame.
— Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2011 -
Even his offensive assistants took a shot across the bow.
— Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 14 Oct. 2020 -
This road car with racetrack roots emerged as a shot across the bow of Jaguar after its comely E-type was unveiled at the 1961 Geneva Motor show.
— Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024 -
The lawsuit is a shot across the bow at one of America’s most successful tech companies.
— Gary Shapiro, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2022 -
Gazprom blamed the move on the West’s decision to withhold vital turbines because of sanctions, but it was seen by politicians in Europe as a shot across the bow.
— Julia Horowitz, CNN, 11 July 2022 -
Southern whites viewed Lincoln’s election as a shot across the bow, an act of unbridled aggression.
— Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 21 Dec. 2020 -
These steps amount to a shot across the bow of the oil industry and could eventually depress US fossil fuel production.
— Matt Egan, CNN, 26 Feb. 2021 -
Loeffler delivered a shot across the bow Saturday that suggested more dirt on Warnock is coming.
— Marisa Schultz, Fox News, 14 Nov. 2020 -
Yet the move could be a shot across the bow, as Florida has become a haven for billionaires who often fund and launch food innovations meant to remediate the effects of climate change.
— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 May 2024 -
Nick Saban probably didn’t mean it as a shot across the bow of his former offensive coordinator.
— Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 8 Sep. 2022 -
Yulia Mamonova, head of content at Lemon.io—a marketplace of vetted software developers—poses that question, making a shot across the bow.
— Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2022 -
The decision was in many ways a shot across the bow for California officials and residents who have long prided themselves for being a liberal bastion somehow shielded from the edicts of the conservative high court.
— Kevin Rectorstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2022 -
The audacious 1,250-cubic-centimeter Pan America Special is a shot across the bow to the European manufacturers that have long dominated this niche market.
— Mark Gardiner, New York Times, 31 May 2021
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a shot across the/someone's bow(s).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Last Updated: