Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

stalking horse

[staw-king hawrs] / ˈstɔ kɪŋ ˌhɔrs /
NOUN
dark horse
Synonyms
STRONGEST
also-ran long shot sleeper underdog
WEAK
hundred-to-one shot improbability little chance little opportunity outside chance outside shot poor bet poor lookout poor possibility poor prognosis poor prospect slim chance small chance unexpected winner unknown unknown quantity unlikelihood unlikely winner upsetter
NOUN
hunter
Synonyms
STRONG
chaser courser foxhound hound
WEAK
gun dog hound dog hunting dog hunting horse rabbit hound

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.

Now the Antichrist may be a stalking horse for a different question: what it means, in some genetically stable sense, to be human.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

A Labour source said: "I've heard of a stalking horse, but this guy is going to get hoarse from his endless stalking."

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025

Journalism is not a speed horse but more of a stalking horse that doesn’t go to the lead, leaving a lot of run left when he hits the homestretch.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2025

"This is not a stalking horse for rate regulation. Nope. No how, no way," the chair said in October.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2024

In short, the Quaker petition for an end of the slave trade was really a stalking horse for a more radical and thoroughgoing scheme to end the institution of slavery itself.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.