long shot

noun

ˈlȯŋ-ˌshät 

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

see also by a long shot

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

Passes from Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes set up Faber for a long shot into the net’s top left corner. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026

But without control of either chamber of Congress, those resolutions were always a long shot and did not gain momentum. —Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026

Yodny Cajuste and Germain Ifedi, who missed the entire season after August injuries and are long shots to return. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026

Conway, 62, a former conservative lawyer who has never before run for political office, would appear to be a long shot in the race for the solidly liberal district that Nadler has represented for more than three decades. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for long shot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

long shot

noun

ˈlȯŋ-ˌshät 

1

: a great risk that promises a great reward if successful

2

: an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning