dark horse
noun
a racehorse, competitor, etc., about whom little is known or who unexpectedly wins.
dark horses
-
pluralof dark horse.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Celebrity Traitors 2 cast: Who are this year's 'big dogs' and dark horses?
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Tipped as tournament dark horses but, despite creating a few chances, but were disappointing in their 1-0 defeat by Ivory Coast.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
It’s too early to crown winners, but one firm is betting on two of the sector’s dark horses.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Nonetheless, he has some dark horses who might not meet his model’s high standards but could still shock the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Nucleic acids, in contrast, were the dark horses of the biochemical world.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
