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

Shockingly, both results were achieved without conceding a single yellow card, and the Asian giants are now clearly the tournament's dark horses. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026

Often considered a dark horse on the Team USA squad, 17-year-old Simone Rose rose to the occasion on Sunday, winning a pair of silver medals on the uneven bars and on balance beam. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Erling Haaland is a big reason for their revival; bearing a striking resemblance to a Norse god – and with an aura to match – his goalscoring prowess makes some think Norway could be a dark horse for the tournament. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 21 June 2026

The excitement for the underdog teams can, of course, be short-lived as previous dark horses have seen following surprising debuts in the World Cup. — Tales Azzoni, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 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