long shot
noun
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
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 even while reviews for F1 have been overwhelmingly positive and the two-and-a-half-hour race thriller is predicted to top all other wide-release movies this weekend, pulling in somewhere between $45 million and $55 million domestically, profitability remains something of a long shot.
—
Chris Lee, Vulture, 27 June 2025
That will likely be a long shot but the Season 1 finale did open a possibility for Larracuente’s Officer Alex Diaz to depart.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 June 2025
No state has done more than the state of California, no state will continue to more than the state of California by a long shot.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (D), who previously faced a federal corruption indictment, is running as an independent and is viewed as an extreme long shot to win reelection.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for long shot
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Chris Lee, Vulture, 27 June 2025
That will likely be a long shot but the Season 1 finale did open a possibility for Larracuente’s Officer Alex Diaz to depart.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 June 2025
No state has done more than the state of California, no state will continue to more than the state of California by a long shot.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (D), who previously faced a federal corruption indictment, is running as an independent and is viewed as an extreme long shot to win reelection.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for long shot
Cite this Entry
“Long shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20shot. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
long shot
noun1
: a great risk that promises a great reward if successful
2
: an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning
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