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.

Now, on his main-draw debut on the Paris clay, Jodar has emerged as a dark horse for the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 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

Xiaomi in particular was a "dark horse", she said, its debut AI glasses the third best-selling of their kind for the first half of 2025 despite only being on sale for about a week.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 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

He had become the convention's surprise dark horse.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

dark horse

Example Sentences

Related Words