How to Use dark horse in a Sentence

dark horse

noun
  • The movie is a dark horse for the award.
  • He is a dark horse, but I did find out that he once played football professionally.
  • The Democrat from Utah has gone from being a dark horse to the front-runner in the campaign for President.
  • Norway is a dark horse team for some.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • Somebody would be set up as a dark horse.
    — Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
  • There are dark horses along the way.
    — Richard Obert, AZCentral.com, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The winner here emerges as a dark horse contender.
    — Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
  • This is the true soccer hipster’s dark horse.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
  • This comeback could be just what the team needs to fulfill its dark horse arc.
    — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 17 June 2026
  • Hickman could be a dark horse for the Allen head coaching job.
    — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 23 Mar. 2021
  • Bouchard is a strong, dark horse candidate to make the roster.
    — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Others are not ruling out a dark horse contender.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
  • If the secondary gets sorted out, this could be a sneaky dark horse contender.
    — Erick Smith, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2022
  • Read on for the dark horses, top first-round matchups, predictions and more.
    — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 24 May 2018
  • And of course there is always the chance for a dark horse candidate who can run through the ranks.
    — Tara Golshan, Vox, 13 Apr. 2018
  • Some thought this team was a dark horse in the American League.
    — Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2020
  • The Mutineers were solid at the start, but were a dark horse.
    — Sean Collins, Dallas News, 9 July 2020
  • Will the Shirley Temple prove to be a crowd-pleasing dark horse?
    — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 21 June 2019
  • Two-way prep standout Bryce Eldridge could be a dark horse here.
    — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 28 June 2023
  • Then a dark horse candidate asked if he was allowed to vote for himself.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Johansson may be the dark horse of the picks, a mobile skater with good hockey sense.
    — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 23 June 2019
  • Ortberg was a total dark horse.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 June 2026
  • Who are the potential dark horses?
    — Sean Gentille, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • There’s a chance a dark horse, like Chase Elliott, hangs around until the end.
    — Brendan Marks, charlotteobserver, 14 Sep. 2017
  • Mizzou is looking like a dark horse in a wide open SEC.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Can Australia still cause chaos from crosses, and might Paraguay be the group’s dark horse?
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • Former Tigers catcher John Hicks is a dark horse to make the team.
    — Sam Blum, Dallas News, 22 Feb. 2021
  • But watch out for Toronto FC in the east as a dark horse contender.
    — The Enquirer, 24 Feb. 2023
  • One site even listed them as a dark horse contender for the World Series.
    — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, 3 Mar. 2020
  • With all the love, might Torres be a dark horse to win the lead actress Oscar?
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dark horse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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