Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An act of aggression or retaliation, such as a retort or threat, made when leaving or at the end of a heated discussion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun idiomatic An insult or barbed comment issued as the speaker departs or the conversation comes to an end.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Believed to be a variation of Parthian shot, referring to a military maneuver in which Parthian troops retreating on horseback turned back to face the enemy and shot while retreating.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word parting shot.

Examples

    Sorry, no example sentences found.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.