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🎯 A skilled shooter ⛵ A fast boat
sharpshooter

sharpshooter

25 5.2
A person who can hit targets very accurately with a gun or in sport
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɑrˌpuːtər/
: tirador de precisión
  • At the shooting range, the sharpshooter impressed everyone by hitting the bull's-eye with every shot.
  • police sharpshooter
  • FBI sharpshooters
  • Confederate sharpshooter

And I heard there's this little guy, sharpshooter from, from Charlton, and everyone was like, right, He's meant to be the next one.

Examples

  • One of his ancestors had been a sharpshooter in B.R. Johnson's division.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The tiebreaker has to go to Illini sharpshooter DJ Richardson, right?

    Blog text (9)

  • Are you proud to be challenged by the best sharpshooter in Germany?

    Enemy at the Gates (2001)

  • And last summer, I got five bull's-eyes in a day, so, you know, they gave me the Sharpshooter of the Week Award.

    Eighth Grade (2018)

  • Why, if it isn't our friend the sharpshooter.

    The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

  • His guarding is presented very differently from his role as sharpshooter in World War I.

    Academic text (2012)

  • I want two sharpshooters covering every booth in the park from now on around the clock.

    The Park Is Mine (1986)

  • Not one of their sharpshooters could match Oswald's performance.

    JFK (1991)

  • Later, Duque asked Guevara, who was a sharpshooter famous all over the Sierra.

  • Gentlemen, Texas marshals have been kind enough to supply us with a dozen of their finest sharpshooters.

    The Longest Yard (2005)

Synonyms

shooter
vssharpshooter
463 3.6

A person who fires a gun, sometimes paid to kill others

is more about very high target accuracy rather than just using a weapon
sniper
vssharpshooter
294 7.4

A person who shoots at people from a hidden place, often in the military or police

is more specialised, while the key covers skilled shooting in many settings
hotshot
vssharpshooter
  • Informal
51 7.0

A person who is very skilled and often admired at their job

is specifically about accurate shooting rather than general exceptional talent
gunner
vssharpshooter
49 6.1

A person who aims and fires weapons, often in the military or in contests

focuses on individual precise shooting rather than operating guns in teams
gun
vssharpshooter
  • NSFW
48 7.5

A person who shoots, often a skilled or professional shooter

focuses on high shooting accuracy rather than general firearm use or violence
archer
vssharpshooter
36 3.9

A person who shoots a bow and arrow

focuses on firearms or sports shooting rather than bows
marksman
vssharpshooter
25 5.9

A person who shoots very accurately with a gun

is about unusually high accuracy rather than general shooting skill
crack shot
vssharpshooter
4 6.5

A person who hits targets very accurately with a gun

is about high accuracy but can be less extreme than this term
shootist
vssharpshooter
  • Archaic
1 8.2

A person who is very good at using guns and hitting targets

is more general, stressing very high accuracy not only firearm use
deadeye
vssharpshooter
1 8.8

A very accurate shooter who can hit small targets from a distance

is broader, meaning very skilled without only pinpoint shots
markswoman
vssharpshooter
1 7.7

A woman who shoots well with a gun

is gender neutral, focusing on very high shooting accuracy
skilled gunner
vssharpshooter
1 6.5

A person who shoots very well, often in the army or competitions

emphasizes target accuracy as main trait rather than general gun operation
snapshooter
vssharpshooter
  • Archaic
7.7

Person who shoots quickly and accurately at targets that appear suddenly

is broader, applying to high accuracy without needing quick shots

Antonyms

amateur
175 3.5

Done by someone who is not a professional and shows little skill

How Skilled

sniper
294 7.4
sharpshooter
25 5.2
marksman
25 5.9
shot
87 4.2
beginner
78 1.0

Surface Forms

sharpshooter singular
sharpshooters plural

Morphology

sharpshooter = sharp + shooter (transparent) = sharp + shoot + er

The word is formed from 'sharp' + 'shooter' (shoot + -er), and the meaning 'skilled shooter' is directly derived from these components.

Etymology

Sharpshooter comes from the two words sharp and shooter, where sharp means 'accurate' or 'keen' and shooter means 'someone who shoots'. So, a sharpshooter is someone who can hit a target with great accuracy.