parting shot

See synonyms for parting shot on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a threat, insult, condemnation, sarcastic retort, or the like, uttered upon leaving.

Origin of parting shot

1
First recorded in 1890–95; perhaps by folk etymology from Parthian shot

Words Nearby parting shot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parting shot in a sentence

  • But why had that impossible young American ruined a pretty compliment by her parting shot?

    The Honorable Percival | Alice Hegan Rice

British Dictionary definitions for parting shot

parting shot

noun
  1. a hostile remark or gesture delivered while departing: Also called: Parthian shot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with parting shot

parting shot

A final insult or last word in an argument, as in As she stalked out, Jane hurled as a parting shot, “And I quit!” This idiom apparently originated as a corruption of Parthian shot, referring to the practice of ancient Parthian warriors of turning back to shoot at their pursuers. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.