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

New Mexico is a long shot state for Trump, who lost the state in the 2016 presidential election by 8 percentage points and hasn't voted for a Republican in a presidential race in more than a decade. — Fortune Editors, Fortune, "Trump Will Rally in Rio Rancho Tonight. Here’s How to Watch Live," 16 Sep. 2019 The people that usually win are younger, dynamic candidates that are considered long shots. — NBC News, "Meet the Press - September 15, 2019," 15 Sep. 2019 Not all the blue states are long shots like New Mexico. — Brian Bennett, Time, "Trump's New Math: Inside the Plan to Flip Blue States in 2020," 9 Sep. 2019 Texans wide receiver Keke Coutee is looking like a long shot for the season opener in New Orleans. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans 'not hopeful' for Keke Coutee's availability for opener," 27 Aug. 2019 The two freshmen are long shots with obvious talent: Rogers is now another year removed from his traumatic knee injury and Duggan one of the top quarterback prospects in the Midwest. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "The 10 biggest quarterback competitions in college football during fall camp," 6 Aug. 2019 That feeling has not made its way to oddsmakers, who are tabbing the Beavers as a long shot to win the conference title. — oregonlive, "Oregon State has long odds to win Pac-12 men’s basketball title, despite return of league player of the year candidate Tres Tinkle," 12 Sep. 2019 Regarded as a long shot to make the roster at the start of the preseason, Adams did something that fellow tight ends Kahale Warring and Jordan Thomas weren't capable of doing. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans' Jerell Adams earns roster spot with consistency, durability," 3 Sep. 2019 Kenshi Yonezu just added another accolade to his ever-growing list of accomplishments, as his official YouTube channel sailed past 4 million subscribers, currently No. 1 among J-pop artists by a long shot. — Billboard Japan, Billboard, "Kenshi Yonezu's YouTube Channel Surpasses 4 Million Subscribers," 9 Aug. 2019

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.