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dark horses

noun

plural of dark horse
1
as in stalking horses

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in long shots

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dark horses
  1. competitors
  2. plays
  3. favorites
  4. contestants
  5. entrants
  6. qualifiers
  7. entries
  8. candidates
Noun
  • The new design, which will be found everywhere from packaging for its wraps to its mobile app interface, uses brighter colors and a uniform font, in part to try to set it apart from quick-service competitors.
    — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
  • On average, a Costco shopper makes 31 trips annually, spending $99 per visit for a total annual outlay of $3,043 – figures that comfortably eclipse competitors like Sam’s Club and BJ’s, Numerator said.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of competitors
Noun
  • The Eagles are shifting away from their usual vertical, power run-blocking schemes to a wide-zone blocking scheme, while making plays less predictable by making run and pass plays look similar.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb will call plays for a Denver Broncos team that reached the AFC title game.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of plays
Noun
  • From a camp cabin, modeled after her own, complete with bunk beds, bedding, an outdoor vanity and camp flag, to a soccer set that features all of Daisy's favorites, there are a handful of new items to explore.
    — Casey DelBasso, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Discover a few of our favorites from the sale, organized by category—skincare, hair, tools, makeup, fragrance, and body.
    — Valeriya Chupinina, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of favorites
Noun
  • The stakes are even higher for this year’s Dancing With the Stars contestants with a double elimination during season 35 premiere week.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The season will run as a weekly series with an all-celebrity cast of 32 contestants, a step up from the show’s Japanese debut.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of contestants
Noun
  • The $4 million will be invested over the next three years in supporting new entrants and re-skilling mid-career professionals.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The energy apprenticeship pipeline only had 45,000 entrants in 2024, but really needs 65,000 professionals flowing in yearly to close the labor supply gap.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of entrants
Noun
  • For the first time in quite a while, the western and eastern Europe qualifiers have been merged into one super qualifier, featuring top teams from both regions.
    — Mike Stubbs, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Definition of qualifiers
Noun
  • This year, the video contest received 347 entries from 40 countries, judged by a panel composed of specialists in science and advanced light microscopy.
    — Molly Finlay, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the entries this year have been knocking on the Hall door for years, including Tickle Me Elmo, the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Mahjong.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of entries
Noun
  • The person added that Fairshake has already spent more than $30 million on Democratic candidates this cycle.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This strategy also helps employers get to know phenomenal candidates whose applications are going to accidentally be rejected by the ATS and AI systems.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of candidates
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

dark horse
dark horses
darkish
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Cite this Entry

“Dark horses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dark%20horses. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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