potshot

[ pot-shot ]

/ ˈpɒtˌʃɒt /

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noun

a shot fired at game merely for food, with little regard to skill or the rules of sport.

a shot at an animal or person within easy range, as from ambush.

a casual or aimless shot.

a random or incidental criticism: to take a potshot at military spending in a speech on taxation.

verb (used without object), pot·shot or pot·shot·ted, pot·shot·ting.

to fire or aim potshots: critics potshotting at the administration.

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Origin of potshot

First recorded in 1855–60; pot¹ + shot¹

How to use potshot in a sentence

The al Qaeda-linked gunmen shot back, but only managed to injure one officer before they were taken out.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cartoonist, better known as Charb, was shot dead Wednesday.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The gunman hardly broke stride as he nonetheless shot Merabet in the head, killing him.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A policewoman was shot dead this morning while law enforcement searched for the Charlie Lebdo killers.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“I heard them say, ‘He was shot twice,’” the father, Joseph Dossi, remembers.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
There was no fighting; a rifle shot now and then from the crests where we saw our fellows clearly.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
A was an Archer, who shot at a frog; B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
Dockier, a prominent leader of the Levelers, in the times of the English commonwealth, was shot by order of the government.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
There was not a moment to lose, for one well-directed shot might exterminate half of us.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for potshot

pot shot

noun

a chance shot taken casually, hastily, or without careful aim

a shot fired to kill game in disregard of the rules of sport

a shot fired at quarry within easy range, often from an ambush

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

potshot

Origin of potshot

Words related to potshot

How to use potshot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for potshot