Definitions

dark horse

NOUN

remote possibility

Synonyms

STRONGEST

also-ran long shot sleeper underdog

WEAK

hundred-to-one shot improbability little chance little opportunity outside chance outside shot poor bet poor lookout poor possibility poor prognosis poor prospect slim chance small chance stalking horse unexpected winner unknown unknown quantity unlikelihood unlikely winner upsetter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a tune-up against Senegal, the Americans won 3-2 against a country seen as a World Cup dark horse as Pulisic snapped a five-month goalless drought.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Blyth also called Rieder a bit of a "dark horse" on whether his decisions would shift from Powell's.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Even though the Dodgers initially had doubts about their chances of landing Edwin Díaz, circumstances changed, the reliever’s market evolved, and they went from dark horse to front-runner.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2025

After more than a century of false starts, the dark horse of the renewable-energy industry seems finally poised to make a significant dent in America’s insatiable appetite for new sources of power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

And Jan Dorlich, we discover, is a dark horse as an actor.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

dark horse

Example Sentences

Related Words