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

Leaving no pizza stone unturned, the results usually shake out as a healthy mix of the usual suspects and the odd dark horse, with the number one spot on the 2026 list snatched by a first-time world champion in West London. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026

Careers were boosted, dark horses gained traction and blades were sharpened. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Professional comedian Nate Bargatze, who hosted last year, was much more of a dark horse. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Rahm has been the quiet dark horse in all of this, and his comments to the BBC on Tuesday only add to his strategic position. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for dark horse

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• outsource
• perforce
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse
• workforce

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