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

If the Red to Blue’s 73 candidates are long shots, ones like McLeod-Skinner — running in very conservative districts — are real Hail Marys. — Andrew Selsky, The Seattle Times, "Democrat seeks Congress seat in conservative chunk of Oregon," 4 Sep. 2018 Update: The race has been called in favor of former Nashville mayor Karl Dean. While the general will be a long shot for Democrats, depending on who wins the Republican primary, a Democrat could have a chance of clinching the governor’s mansion. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Tennessee primary elections: live results for Senate and governor’s race," 3 Aug. 2018 Strategy and desperation delivered a compelling run to the finish Sunday, leaving the door open for a collection of sentimental favorites, a local hero, and a couple of long, long, long shots. — Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Will Power takes charge in final laps to win the Indianapolis 500," 27 May 2018 Two women ran for the Senate, both were long shots, and both lost. — Kate Zernike And Denise Lu, idahostatesman, "Women run for Congress in droves, but their path is narrowing | Idaho Statesman," 15 May 2018 How the asylum process works But gaining asylum in the United States is a long shot, even without facing hostility from the Trump administration, immigration experts say. — Daniel González, azcentral, "Central American migrants in caravan on a collision course with Trump," 26 Apr. 2018 By the time Alex began hosting and producing the show in 1984, Jeopardy! was facing a long shot at success. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "A Fascinating Look Back at How Alex Trebek Got Started on 'Jeopardy!'," 30 July 2018 Here’s why the appeal is meaningful but also a serious long shot. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Why yesterday’s AT&T and Time Warner merger appeal matters — and why it’s a long shot," 13 July 2018 In his first competitive start since Sept. 16 because of injury, Neuer was kept busy saving a stinging long shot from Hector Herrera in the 10th, then a header shortly after a free kick. — James Ellingsworth, star-telegram, "Did that just happen? Mexico stuns defending champion Germany in World Cup upset," 17 June 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.