long shot
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: Getting tickets at this late date is a long shot, but I'll give it a whirl.
Movies, Television. a camera shot taken at a relatively great distance from the subject and permitting a broad view of a scene.: Compare close-up (def. 2), medium shot.
Idioms about long shot
by a long shot, by any means; by a measurable degree (usually used in the negative): They haven't finished by a long shot.
Origin of long shot
1Words Nearby long shot
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use long shot in a sentence
She was initially described in the local media as a long shot and was widely written off.
How Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, promoter of QAnon’s baseless theories, rose with support from key Republicans | Michael Kranish, Reis Thebault, Stephanie McCrummen | January 30, 2021 | Washington PostThis is called ballooning and it’s bad for hitting long shots.
Nerf’s newest blaster shoots spinning balls for dramatic curves | Stan Horaczek | January 27, 2021 | Popular-ScienceAs the graph above shows, areas of LA county with the highest poverty rates also have the highest mortality rates—and by a long shot.
5 graphs that show how bad COVID-19 is in LA County | Sara Chodosh | January 26, 2021 | Popular-ScienceOn the world’s betting sites, that outcome was a long shot offering two-to-one odds a big payout as recently as two days after Christmas.
Betting odds heavily favored Georgia’s GOP candidates, then suddenly collapsed. What went wrong? | Shawn Tully | January 7, 2021 | FortuneIn five of the past six seasons, Westbrook scored on less than 30 percent of his long shots.
Wall-Westbrook trade is a big deal, but did the Wizards get a good deal? | Fred Bowen | December 9, 2020 | Washington Post
Gun regulation, of course, was not the only successful initiative, not by a long shot.
One of the Midterms’ Little-Noticed Big Losers: The NRA | Cliff Schecter | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt does, and a little-known, long-shot Democrat is taking him to the wire.
Red Sweep? Maybe, but One Tea Party Incumbent Is in Trouble | Dean Obeidallah | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFor now, neither Warren nor Clinton are campaigning with long-shot Democrats in the Hawkeye State.
2016 Dark Horse Martin O'Malley Is Boosting Iowa Democrats (and Himself) | Ben Jacobs | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 2012, Bentivolio filed as a long-shot primary candidate to take on idiosyncratic five-term incumbent Thaddeus McCotter.
McCotter, fresh off a long-shot presidential bid, was expected to cruise to victory.
A mile then was a long shot for the largest guns, and the Yankee cruisers had made a fair start.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | VariousYou have a lot of soreheads to handle, here and at the division shops, and it isn't all their fault, not by a long shot.
The Wreckers | Francis LyndeNot that he or anybody else can tell me all about you—not by a long shot; I know boys and young men well enough for that.
And So They Were Married | Florence Morse KingsleyGavegan had grumbled to himself that it was only a thousand to one shot; but luck had been with him, and his long shot had won.
Children of the Whirlwind | Leroy ScottThe actual limit is when the star has reached the density of a neutron, and this star hasn't collapsed that far by a long shot.
Islands of Space | John W Campbell
British Dictionary definitions for long shot
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 means: he 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
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