shooting the messenger

A form of shoot the messenger — To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable for a problem because they brought attention to it.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of shoot the messenger
Cite this entry
APA

shooting the messenger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shooting%20the%20messenger

MLA

“shooting the messenger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shooting%20the%20messenger. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shooting the messenger,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shooting%20the%20messenger.

Source: shooting the messenger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.