long shot

noun \ ˈlȯŋ-ˌshät \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

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

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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 of long shot from the Web

Joyful, inventive, catchy — one of my favorite releases of last year by a long shot.

— jenn wasner, USA TODAY, "Playlist: What's Wye Oak listening to?," 6 Apr. 2018
Democratic congressman Beto O’Rourke may still be a long shot to unseat Republican senator Ted Cruz in Texas this November.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Beto O’Rourke Announces Eye-popping Fundraising Numbers," 3 Apr. 2018
That’s the best way to prevent CTE, by a long shot.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "At Seau symposium, CTE researcher makes his case against youth tackle football," 31 Mar. 2018
With a market cap of about $37 billion, Humana would be Walmart’s biggest deal by a long shot.

— andrew nusca, Fortune, "Walmart-Humana Deal, Microsoft Reorg, Cathay Pacific Clothing: CEO Daily for March 30, 2018," 30 Mar. 2018
Andrew Janz, the Deputy District Attorney in Fresno County, is still considered a long shot in his bid to unseat Nunes.

— ryan nobles, CNN, "Nunes opponent raises $1 million in first quarter," 28 Mar. 2018
No local long shots like Leominster or Lawrence, or struggling Midwest cities like Detroit or St. Louis, which Missouri’s governor offered to connect with Kansas City by Hyperloop for a state-spanning campus.

— tim logan, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston among cities on short list for Amazon headquarters," 18 Jan. 2018
Hosmer finds comfort in the role of the long shot, a homegrown talent for Royals who broke through in 2011 as the team finished 20 games under .500 and 24 games back.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "As a Padre, Hosmer wears underdog tag artfully, comfortably," 23 Mar. 2018
He’s more of a long shot than some of the others on this list because of his injury issues, but there’s upside here nonetheless.

— matt cederholm, USA TODAY, "Buster Posey, Mookie Betts likely to show more power in 2018," 21 Mar. 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.

First Known Use of long shot

1796

LONG SHOT Defined for English Language Learners

long shot

noun

Definition of long shot for English Language Learners

: an attempt or effort that is not likely to be successful
: a person or thing that is not likely to win something (such as a contest or race)

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