CEFR B2

dark horse

noun

Meaning

A competitor or candidate who is not expected to win but may do so.

Examples

No one saw her coming, but she turned out to be the dark horse in the election.
He was a dark horse in the race for the promotion, but his hard work paid off.

Synonyms: underdog, outsider, long shot, contender

Learn English that separates you from the crowd with Anaversity: private classes, Ani practice, Campus tools, and a public English-learning community.

dark horse (B2)

noun

Pronunciation: [ˌdɑːrk ˈhɔːrs]

Definition

A competitor or candidate who is not expected to win but may do so.

Examples

No one saw her coming, but she turned out to be the dark horse in the election.
He was a dark horse in the race for the promotion, but his hard work paid off.
The small company was a dark horse, surprising everyone by landing the major contract.

How to Use dark horse

dark horse (idiom): A person or thing that is surprisingly successful. — "The small startup proved to be a dark horse, disrupting the established industry."

Synonyms of dark horse

Words with a similar meaning to dark horse:

Antonyms of dark horse

Words with the opposite meaning to dark horse:

Browse the full Anaversity dictionary