Synonyms of long shotnext
1
: a venture involving great risk but promising a great reward if successful
also : a venture unlikely to succeed
2
: an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning
3
: a bet in which the chances of winning are slight but the possible winnings great
see also:

Examples of long shot in a Sentence

I hope to double my profits, but I know that's a long shot. The horse was a long shot, but we bet on him anyway. She always bets on long shots at the racetrack.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. Jeff Hartman, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 On top of that, new inflation data released last week makes the Federal Reserve cutting rates anytime soon a long shot. Fred Imbert, CNBC, 17 May 2026 Legal experts considered federal court intervention in a state constitutional law case a long shot. Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 15 May 2026 The order is widely viewed as a legal long shot, and the justices have more than one way to stop it. Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for long shot

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of long shot was in 1796

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Cite this Entry

“Long shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20shot. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

long shot

noun
1
: a great risk that promises a great reward if successful
2
: an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning

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