shot across the bow
UK/ˈʃɒt əˌkɹɒs ðə ˈbaʊ//ˈʃɑt əˌkɹɔs ðə ˈbaʊ/
shot across the bow noun: a warning that negative consequences will be faced if something is carried out or allowed to continue.
Noun
shot across the bow (plural shots across the bow)
- A warning that negative consequences will be faced if something is carried out or allowed to continue.
- President [Franklin] Pierce, like a great war ship, fired two shots across the bows of the Congress, to bring matters to.1856 March, “Monthly Summary. [United States.]”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XLVIII, number 3, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R....
- Scientists considered collectively are remarkably single-minded in their views about what is important and what is not. If a graduate student gives a seminar and no one comes or no one asks a question, it is very sad, but not so sad as the question gallantly put by a senior or a colleague that...1979, P[eter] B[rian] Medawar, “What Shall I Do Research on?”, in Advice to a Young Scientist (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation series), New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, →ISBN, pages 13–14
- Synonyms:
- warning shot
Examples of shot across the bow in a sentence
- But it is a warning sign, a shot across the bows.1979, P[eter] B[rian] Medawar, “What Shall I Do Research on?”, in Advice to a Young Scientist (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation series), New...
- That part of the release wouldn't so much be a warning shot across the bow as one aimed right at the bridge, Kealty thought.1994 August 17, Tom Clancy, Debt of Honor, New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →ISBN; republished as Debt of Honor, New York...
- While I'm persuaded by the Chairman's bona fides in this area, I think this is a shot across the bow.2001 July 10, John Conyers Jr., “Amendment to H.R. 2215 Offered by Mr. Conyers”, in 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations...
- This is often used as a "shot across the bow," warning the borrower how seriously the lender views the default.2007, David Geltner, Norman G. Miller, Jim Clayton, Piet Eicholtz, Commercial Real Estate Analysis & Investments, 2nd edition, Mason, Oh....
Synonyms of shot across the bow
Forms of shot across the bow
| plural | shots across the bow |
|---|---|
| alternative form | shot across the bows |
Origin of shot across the bow
From the naval tactic of firing a warning shot across the bow or front portion of a ship in order to force it to stop or alter its course.
Words that rhyme with shot across the bow
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about shot across the bow
- What does shot across the bow mean?
- Shot across the bow means a warning that negative consequences will be faced if something is carried out or allowed to continue.
- How do you use shot across the bow in a sentence?
- But it is a warning sign, a shot across the bows.
- What part of speech is shot across the bow?
- Shot across the bow is a noun.
- How do you pronounce shot across the bow?
- Shot across the bow is pronounced /ˈʃɒt əˌkɹɒs ðə ˈbaʊ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of shot across the bow?
- The plural of shot across the bow is shots across the bow.
Words near shot across the bow in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: shot across the bow (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-shot across the bow.mp3, En-au-shot across the bow.ogg.
Cite this entry: “shot across the bow.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/shot_across_the_bow. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.