How to Use a shot across the/someone's bow(s) in a Sentence

a shot across the/someone's bow(s)

phrase
  • Experts said the move is significant, but still short of firing a shot across the bow.
    — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 7 June 2022
  • The comments are a shot across the bow ahead of the next UN climate summit.
    — Ben Geman, Axios, 25 Sep. 2024
  • The case was a boon to white-collar lawyers and a shot across the bow of international sports.
    — Tariq Panja, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Maryland’s inability to control the glass should serve as a shot across the bow.
    — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025
  • This is a shot across the bow of the rest of the technologically advanced world.
    — Mark Minevich, Time, 9 June 2025
  • This is a shot across the bow to proponents of the climate security frame.
    — Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2011
  • Uh, Dan Tierney took a shot across the bow at president Biden.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 June 2022
  • The right-wing has been aiming for fetal personhood for a long time, and this ruling may be a shot across the bow from that cause.
    — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2024
  • The baby formula shortage is a shot across the bow of the FDA.
    — Peter J. Pitts, STAT, 3 June 2022
  • The lawsuit is a shot across the bow at one of America’s most successful tech companies.
    — Gary Shapiro, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Southern whites viewed Lincoln’s election as a shot across the bow, an act of unbridled aggression.
    — Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 21 Dec. 2020
  • Rohit knows that even in defeat, India have put a shot across the bows of the visitors to suggest normal service resumes soon.
    — Tim Ellis, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Nick Saban probably didn’t mean it as a shot across the bow of his former offensive coordinator.
    — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 8 Sep. 2022
  • Loeffler delivered a shot across the bow Saturday that suggested more dirt on Warnock is coming.
    — Marisa Schultz, Fox News, 14 Nov. 2020
  • Before Arone and Kindred’s connection ramped up, King Philip (9-2) opened the game with a shot across the bow.
    — Brendan Kurie, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Nov. 2021
  • These steps amount to a shot across the bow of the oil industry and could eventually depress US fossil fuel production.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 26 Feb. 2021
  • Gazprom blamed the move on the West’s decision to withhold vital turbines because of sanctions, but it was seen by politicians in Europe as a shot across the bow.
    — Julia Horowitz, CNN, 11 July 2022
  • Durov’s arrest is a shot across the bow for Telegram, which now suddenly finds itself in the sights of European law enforcement and regulators.
    — Josh Axelrod, WIRED, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Yet the move could be a shot across the bow, as Florida has become a haven for billionaires who often fund and launch food innovations meant to remediate the effects of climate change.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 May 2024
  • This road car with racetrack roots emerged as a shot across the bow of Jaguar after its comely E-type was unveiled at the 1961 Geneva Motor show.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Putin could take a shot across the bow of his foes—detonating a single nuclear weapon to demonstrate Russia’s willingness to escalate to widespread nuclear weapons use if his demands are not met.
    — Andrew F. Krepinevich, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2022
  • The decision was in many ways a shot across the bow for California officials and residents who have long prided themselves for being a liberal bastion somehow shielded from the edicts of the conservative high court.
    — Kevin Rectorstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2022
  • The audacious 1,250-cubic-centimeter Pan America Special is a shot across the bow to the European manufacturers that have long dominated this niche market.
    — Mark Gardiner, New York Times, 31 May 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a shot across the/someone's bow(s).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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