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

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

Nate Hobbs, Francis Scott Key, senior Hobbs is a dark horse to break through and earn All-County honors this season, his third on varsity for the Eagles. —Timothy Dashiell, Baltimore Sun, 24 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

dark horse

noun

: a contestant or a political figure whose abilities and chances of winning are not known

the convention nominated a dark horse