dark horses

noun

plural of dark horse
1
as in stalking horses

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in long shots

Related Words

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
  • If our fleet shares infrastructure with competitors' fleets, coordination failure is a joint risk that no single board controls.
    — Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • The lender’s commitment adds to an existing undrawn facility set up by competitors, boosting the capital available for OpenAI to more than $5 billion.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of competitors
Noun
  • Dash forward Kalyssa van Zanten had two golden opportunities to find the back of the net right before halftime, with both plays looking very similar.
    — Spencer Baldwin, Denver Post, 13 July 2026
  • Gaitley said the Nets have worked with him this summer on increasing his physicality, getting into the paint and finishing or making plays.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026
Definition of plays
Noun
  • The Palm Theater, aka the SLO Film Center, offers documentaries, international films and indie favorites like The Big Lebowski.
    — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • Below, shop my favorites, including soft fleece pants, sleek crews, and oversized cardigans, starting at $35.
    — Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2026
Definition of favorites
Noun
  • The main studio is Room 1, and all the contestants start there, competing to accurately count the grains in a bag of rice.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • With opportunities to earn money, buy properties and negotiate deals, the contestants must work to stay afloat as the bankrupt players get eliminated, with only one player left standing.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 13 July 2026
Definition of contestants
Noun
  • Today, the nation spends billions to screen entrants using cutting-edge biometric tools, and thousands of Customs and Border Protection officers are stationed at every international airport and port of entry in the country.
    — Amanda Frost, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • New entrants without that track record face a very different market — smaller, less marketable targets, and deal terms for both the IPO and de-SPAC financing that reflect the skepticism of a capital base that learned expensive lessons not long ago.
    — Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 30 June 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
  • Prosecutors have alleged that Millete physically abused May, pointing to her past journal entries.
    — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • After tracking and testing this category through the spring, my read is that two vendors, Microsoft and Amazon, have credible first entries in this segment, yet this first generation still shows real gaps.
    — Jason Andersen, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of entries
Noun
  • Back then, the imperial family was bigger and incorporated other collateral branches, known as Oke, which offered a pool of candidates if the main bloodline failed to produce an heir.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Even candidates who have merely been endorsed by progressive organizations have sought to draw distinctions.
    — Nik Popli, Time, 13 July 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dark horses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dark%20horses. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All