dark horse
noun
1
a
: a usually little known contender (such as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing
b
: an entrant in a contest that is judged unlikely to succeed
2
: a political candidate unexpectedly nominated usually as a compromise between factions
Examples of dark horse in a Sentence
The Democrat from Utah has gone from being a dark horse to the front-runner in the campaign for President.
The movie is a dark horse for the award.
He is a dark horse, but I did find out that he once played football professionally.
Recent Examples on the Web
Advertisement Ecuador, whose only losses in 14 games came to Argentina and Italy, could be a dark horse.
—
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024
Injuries may be a concern, but there is no questioning his impact, and Anunoby’s impact propelled the Knicks into dark horse contender status in the second half of the season.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 June 2024
Investopedia said there is another possible dark horse: genome researcher Craig Venter.
—Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 15 Feb. 2024
In what seems to be the only existing photograph of People’s Grocery, a dark horse pulls a Van Buren Cigar wagon whose driver looks directly at the camera.
—Faron Levesque, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dark horse 
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024
Injuries may be a concern, but there is no questioning his impact, and Anunoby’s impact propelled the Knicks into dark horse contender status in the second half of the season.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 June 2024
Investopedia said there is another possible dark horse: genome researcher Craig Venter.
—Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 15 Feb. 2024
In what seems to be the only existing photograph of People’s Grocery, a dark horse pulls a Van Buren Cigar wagon whose driver looks directly at the camera.
—Faron Levesque, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dark horse
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dark horse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dark horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dark%20horse. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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