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1
: a venture involving great risk but promising a great reward if successful
also : a venture unlikely to succeed
2
: an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning
3
: a bet in which the chances of winning are slight but the possible winnings great
Phrases
by a long shot
: by a great deal

Examples of long shot in a Sentence

I hope to double my profits, but I know that's a long shot. The horse was a long shot, but we bet on him anyway. She always bets on long shots at the racetrack.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Zodiac Killer Project is beautifully shot by cinematographer Xenia Patricia with long shots of empty car parks, restaurants and other locations, where nothing was happening at all, allowing Shackleton to explain what might have been. Peter White, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025 While Novo Nordisk was well aware that repurposing semaglutide to halt AD progression was a long shot, there was a lot of hope – as well as time and money – invested in these trials. New Atlas, 24 Nov. 2025 Should the Tide miss out on the CFP for a second straight year, DeBoer may not be such a long shot to land in Happy Valley. Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025 Plus, Chalk reveals the several discussions that went into one seconds-long shot. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for long shot

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of long shot was in 1796

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Long shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20shot. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

long shot

noun
1
: a great risk that promises a great reward if successful
2
: an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning

More from Merriam-Webster on long shot

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