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

When Mamdani announced his run last October, he (and, frankly, anyone else without the last name Cuomo) was considered a dark horse in the race. —Walden Green, Pitchfork, 5 June 2025

Chris Broussard, a notable sports analyst, has named Williams at No. 1 on his list of potential dark horse MVP candidates. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025

There is thought to be at least one other dark horse candidate, possibly two. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 June 2025

The Cardinals entered last season as a potential NFL dark horse, but fell short of the playoffs, finishing 8-9. —Doug Haller, New York Times, 20 May 2025

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
• racecourse
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse

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