definitions

long shot

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noun

a horse, team, etc., that has little chance of winning and carries long odds.
an attempt or undertaking that offers much but in which there is little chance for success.
Movies, Television. a camera shot taken at a relatively great distance from the subject and permitting a broad view of a scene.Compare closeup(def 2), medium shot.

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Nearby words

long radial extensor muscle of wrist, long range, long rifle, long run, long s, long shot, long shot, a, long splice, long suit, long sweetening, long tail

Idioms

    by a long shot, by any means; by a measurable degree: They haven't finished by a long shot.

Origin of long shot

First recorded in 1785–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for by a long shot

long shot

noun

a competitor, as in a race, considered to be unlikely to win
a bet against heavy odds
an undertaking, guess, or possibility with little chance of success
films television a shot where the camera is or appears to be distant from the object to be photographed
by a long shot by any meanshe still hasn't finished by a long shot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for by a long shot

long shot

n.

in the figurative sense of "something unlikely," 1867, from long (adj.) + shot (n.). The notion is of a shot at a target from a great distance, thus difficult to make. Cinematic sense is from 1922.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with by a long shot

by a long shot

see under long shot.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.