dark horse

noun

1. a racehorse, competitor, etc., about whom little is known or who unexpectedly wins.

2. a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated at a political convention.

dark horse

noun

1. a competitor in a race or contest about whom little is known; an unknown

2. a person who reveals little about himself or his activities, esp one who has unexpected talents or abilities

3. politics a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated or elected

dark horse

1. An unexpected winner. In politics, a dark horse is a candidate for office considered unlikely to receive his or her party's nomination, but who might be nominated if party leaders cannot agree on a better candidate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dark horse¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Idioms and Phrases

A little known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in You never can tell—some dark horse may come along and win a Senate seat. This metaphoric expression originally alluded to an unknown horse winning a race and was so used in a novel by Benjamin Disraeli (The Young Duke, 1831). It soon began to be transferred to political candidates, among the first of whom was James K. Polk. He won the 1844 Democratic Presidential nomination on the eighth ballot and went on to win the election.

Example Sentences

After more than a century of false starts, the dark horse of the renewable-energy industry seems finally poised to make a significant dent in America’s insatiable appetite for new sources of power.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At the same time, Darnold has emerged as both a dark horse to be this season’s MVP and an incredible bargain: His $33.5 million a year contract is far cheaper than the game’s highest-paid passers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At the start of the season, we said on The Whole 10 Yards that Denver could be this season's dark horses.

Read more on BBC

The Denver Broncos went from dark horses to headline-makers thanks to a superb comeback win against Super Bowl champions the Eagles, before hopping on a plane for Sunday's game in London.

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Another of the league's top 10 - Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II - then comes to town, along with two of this season's dark horses for the Super Bowl and a rookie dubbed an NFL 'unicorn'.

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Related Words

• also-ran 
• long shot 
• sleeper 
• underdog