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
Austad says the project has uncovered other dark horse molecules that appear to be beneficial, including the diabetes treatment canagliflozin and 17alpha-estradiol, a form of estrogen.
—
Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 11 Sep. 2024
He was once seen a dark horse for the No. 2 spot and burst out of the veepstakes pack in recent days on the back of waves of enthusiasm from the Democratic base.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024
Overcoming Setbacks Regardless of whether one could be considered a dark horse entrepreneur, setbacks are inevitable for every aspiring business owner.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 20 June 2024
Robinson is a ferocious rebounder, shot-blocker, lob-finisher and screen-setter, a perpetual Defensive Player of the Year dark horse contestant anchoring the paint for the Knicks on both ends of the floor.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dark horse 
Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 11 Sep. 2024
He was once seen a dark horse for the No. 2 spot and burst out of the veepstakes pack in recent days on the back of waves of enthusiasm from the Democratic base.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024
Overcoming Setbacks Regardless of whether one could be considered a dark horse entrepreneur, setbacks are inevitable for every aspiring business owner.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 20 June 2024
Robinson is a ferocious rebounder, shot-blocker, lob-finisher and screen-setter, a perpetual Defensive Player of the Year dark horse contestant anchoring the paint for the Knicks on both ends of the floor.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 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 2 Oct. 2024.
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