sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshü-tər 
plural sharpshooters
1
: a person who is highly skilled in shooting a weapon (such as a rifle) at a mark or target
a police sharpshooter
Determined to prevent any attempt on Lincoln's life, General Winfield Scott had placed sharpshooters on the roofs of buildings along the avenue …—
David Herbert Donald
David Herbert Donald2
sports
: a consistently accurate shooter (as in basketball)
A 6' 9" sharpshooter who several NBA scouts predict will be a first-round pick …—Tim Crothers
Tim Crothers3
: any of various large leafhoppers that have powerful hind legs with spines on the tibia
The sharpshooter uses a needlelike mouthpart to suck fluids from trees and plants. As it goes from one to the next, it spreads diseases that can wipe out orange groves and other crops.—Carl Zimmer
Carl ZimmerIn Temecula, disease-carrying sharpshooters have turned some vineyards into wastelands.—Steve Schmidt
Steve SchmidtExamples of sharpshooter in a Sentence
the police stationed sharpshooters on rooftops all along the route of the presidential motorcade
Recent Examples on the Web
Moments later, the rookie helps his veteran sharpshooter teammate find his street sign.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka can only do so much to upgrade the roster with one free-agency exception, several expiring contracts, sophomore sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, and one first-round pick (2031 or 2032, but not both).
—Jovan Buha, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Charles and sharpshooter Marina Mabrey were the only players to make more than two field goals for the Sun, but Mabrey continued an offensive slump hitting 27.2% from the field and going 1-for-5 beyond the arc.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025
The sharpshooter thrived coming off the bench for the Sun over the last 16 games of the year.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sharpshooter
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka can only do so much to upgrade the roster with one free-agency exception, several expiring contracts, sophomore sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, and one first-round pick (2031 or 2032, but not both).
—Jovan Buha, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Charles and sharpshooter Marina Mabrey were the only players to make more than two field goals for the Sun, but Mabrey continued an offensive slump hitting 27.2% from the field and going 1-for-5 beyond the arc.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025
The sharpshooter thrived coming off the bench for the Sun over the last 16 games of the year.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sharpshooter
Cite this Entry
“Sharpshooter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharpshooter. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sharpshooter
noun
sharp·shoot·er
ˈshärp-ˌshüt-ər
: one skilled in shooting : a good marksman
sharpshooting
noun
-ˌshüt-iŋ
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share