long shot

noun

\ˈlȯŋ-ˌshät

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

But something about a long shot of Ms. Bensimon trotting in front of a yellow cab in the middle of Fifth Avenue like a carriage horse makes perfect sense. — Alison Leiby, The Cut, "I Think About This a Lot: Kelly Bensimon Running Behind a Cab," 9 July 2018 The Samurai Blue, an underdog to come out of Group H, remain a substantial long shot to win the tournament, especially with a round-of-16 matchup against Belgium looming. — Si.com Staff, SI.com, "Weekend Read: A Case for All 16 Teams to Win the World Cup, Reflecting on Tyler Hilinski and More," 29 June 2018 Curry finally buried a 3 and after James matched him with a long shot, Iguodala drove the lane for a thundering dunk. — CBS News, "LeBron facing final game with Cavs after Warriors' Games 3 win?," 7 June 2018 In a state as Republican as Texas, many would say you’re still a long shot to win the governorship. — Abigail Abrams, Time, "'I’m Getting Darn Good at Uphill Battles.' Lupe Valdez Could Be Texas’ First Openly Gay, Latina Governor," 25 May 2018 The site believes that either Asia O’Hara or Kameron Michaels winning the crown is a long shot. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, "Betting Experts Are Picking Aquaria to Win 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10," 25 June 2018 But that is a long shot — many believe the resolution will have a much harder time passing the House. — Madeline Buxton, refinery29.com, "Net Neutrality Is Gone — Has Your State Taken Action?," 11 June 2018 For months, Padres officials have privately suggested the same thing many people outside the organization speculated: that San Diego is a long shot to sign Japanese megastar Shohei Ohtani. — Dennis Lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres could be favorite to sign Shohei Ohtani," 4 Dec. 2017 Campbell thought the sixth year was a bit of a long shot, but in late January, an NCAA panel examined the circumstances of Kempt’s transfers and granted the sixth year. — Andy Staples, SI.com, "How Matt Campbell and Iowa State Move Forward Without the Element of Surprise," 14 May 2018

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.