long shot

\ ˈlȯŋ-ˌshät

How to pronounce long shot (audio)

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Definition of long shot

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

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 At the time, legal experts, including attorney John Burris, who has represented several of Grant’s friends and family in federal civil lawsuits, said any potential new charges would be a long shot. — Michael Williams, SFChronicle.com, "After reopening Oscar Grant case, Alameda DA won’t charge ex-BART cop Pirone," 11 Jan. 2021 And this is a long shot, but perhaps the ski gods will hear my plea. — Rachel King, Fortune, "What we are looking forward to in 2021," 31 Dec. 2020 Rick Hasen, a professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California-Irvine, said that Gohmert's effort is a long shot. — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "House Republican sues Pence in last-ditch bid to overturn election results," 28 Dec. 2020 Then again, simply getting to this point when the Big 12 started play in September was a long shot. — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, "Bob Bowlsby says Big 12′s sample size should factor in College Football Playoff committee’s selections," 17 Dec. 2020 Rusada could appeal the CAS decision only under limited grounds, such as a lack of jurisdiction, violation of procedural rules or incompatibility with public policy, but winning that is a long shot. — Rachel Bachman, WSJ, "Sports Court Cuts Russia Doping Ban in Half," 17 Dec. 2020 Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors who urged the court to get involved acknowledged that the effort was a long shot and sought to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud. — Nomaan Merchant And Alanna Durkin Richer, baltimoresun.com, "Supreme Court rejects Texas lawsuit — backed by Trump and most House GOP members — to overturn election results," 12 Dec. 2020 Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors who urged the court to get involved acknowledged that the effort was a long shot and sought to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud. — Anchorage Daily News, "Supreme Court rejects Texas’ lawsuit to overturn presidential election," 12 Dec. 2020 As China is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, prosecution at the court has always been a long shot. — James Griffiths, CNN, "China avoids ICC prosecution over Xinjiang for now, but pressure is growing," 14 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'long shot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Long shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20shot. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

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