dark horse

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dark horse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a racehorse, competitor, etc., about whom little is known or who unexpectedly wins.
a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated at a political convention.

Origin of dark horse

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby dark horse

dark continent, dark continent, the, dark current, dark energy, dark glasses, dark horse, dark internet, dark lantern, dark matter, dark meat, dark mineral

Words related to dark horse

also-ran, underdog, sleeper, improbability, unknown, unlikelihood

Example sentences from the Web for dark horse

British Dictionary definitions for dark horse

dark horse

noun

a competitor in a race or contest about whom little is known; an unknown
a person who reveals little about himself or his activities, esp one who has unexpected talents or abilities
US politics a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated or elected

Cultural definitions for dark horse

dark horse

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.

Idioms and Phrases with dark horse

dark horse

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.