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
The dark horse When speculation began about who Harris would pick as a running mate, Walz started out as the darkest of dark horses.
—
Cnn, The Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2024
Still, some close to Trump had not ruled a dark horse contender as of midday Monday.
—Nathan Layne, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024
This affecting love letter to theater could end up being the season’s dark horse.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2024
Meet the other major contenders and potential dark horses.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dark horse 
Cnn, The Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2024
Still, some close to Trump had not ruled a dark horse contender as of midday Monday.
—Nathan Layne, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024
This affecting love letter to theater could end up being the season’s dark horse.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2024
Meet the other major contenders and potential dark horses.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 June 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.
Dictionary Entries Near dark horse
Cite this Entry
“Dark horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dark%20horse. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share