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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Examples of potshot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
Media reports of Newsom’s appearance centered on his verbal potshot at former President Donald Trump and his conversation with Pope Francis who, Newsom said, praised his unilateral suspension of executions in California.
—Dan Walters, Orange County Register, 29 May 2024
What started as a war of words between Lamar and Drake quickly devolved into something more sinister, with each airing the other’s dirty laundry in public and taking vicious potshots.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 8 May 2024
Unable or unwilling to secure green energy legislation that would reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, the Biden administration has settled for periodic potshots at Saudi Arabia over its unwillingness to increase oil production.
—Yasmine Farouk, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for potshot 
Noun
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
Media reports of Newsom’s appearance centered on his verbal potshot at former President Donald Trump and his conversation with Pope Francis who, Newsom said, praised his unilateral suspension of executions in California.
—Dan Walters, Orange County Register, 29 May 2024
What started as a war of words between Lamar and Drake quickly devolved into something more sinister, with each airing the other’s dirty laundry in public and taking vicious potshots.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 8 May 2024
Unable or unwilling to secure green energy legislation that would reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, the Biden administration has settled for periodic potshots at Saudi Arabia over its unwillingness to increase oil production.
—Yasmine Farouk, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for potshot
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potshot.' 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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“Potshot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potshot. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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