dark horse

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.

Even though the Dodgers initially had doubts about their chances of landing Edwin Díaz, circumstances changed, the reliever’s market evolved, and they went from dark horse to front-runner.

From Los Angeles Times

Xiaomi in particular was a "dark horse", she said, its debut AI glasses the third best-selling of their kind for the first half of 2025 despite only being on sale for about a week.

From Barron's

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.

From 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.

From 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.

From BBC