sharpshooter
Americannoun
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a person skilled in shooting, especially with a rifle.
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Military.
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a rating below expert and above marksman, assigned to one who has qualified with a specific score in rifle marksmanship.
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a person who has achieved such a rating.
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an athlete noted for having accurate aim in a sport, as basketball, hockey, archery, golf, etc.
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Slang. a person who engages in short-term business dealings with the purpose of making a large, quick profit without regard to scruple.
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a spade that has a very narrow blade, used as a garden or nursery tool.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sharpshooter
1795–1805; sharp (i.e., sharp-eyed) + shooter; compare German Scharfschütz ( e ) expert marksman
Explanation
If you know someone who is a crack shot with her rifle at target practice, you can call her a sharpshooter. Annie Oakley, the fabled markswoman of the Wild West, is a perfect example of a sharpshooter. The sharp bit is a bit of a stretch, but it is presumed to refer to the marksperson's eye; sharpshooter comes to us as a direct translation of the German Scharfschütz. Today the terms sharpshooter, marksman, and sniper tend to be used interchangeably.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was a sharpshooter, a man’s man, and a true gentleman.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Back when he was recruiting Mullins, in 2024, Hurley had done his best to make his program standout to the Indiana-born sharpshooter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Add a sharpshooter such as Azzi Fudd to the mix, and you have one of the most potent attacks in America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2025
On a night the Storm were 1 of 9 from three-point range — the first time they attempted fewer than 10 threes since June 11, 2019 — sharpshooter Whitcomb didn’t attempt a shot.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
Being a marksman and sharpshooter, he was peculiarly fitted to miss.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
