long shot

[ lawng shot, long ]

noun

1. a horse, team, etc., that has little chance of winning and carries long odds.
2. an attempt or undertaking that offers much but in which there is little chance for success:

   Getting tickets at this late date is a long shot, but I'll give it a whirl.

3. Movies, Television. a camera shot taken at a relatively great distance from the subject and permitting a broad view of a scene. Compare close-up ( def 2 ), medium shot.

long shot

noun

1. a competitor, as in a race, considered to be unlikely to win
2. a bet against heavy odds
3. an undertaking, guess, or possibility with little chance of success
4. films television a shot where the camera is or appears to be distant from the object to be photographed
5. by a long shot
   by any means

   he still hasn't finished by a long shot

Word History and Origins

Origin of long shot¹

First recorded in 1785–95

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. by a long shot, by any means; by a measurable degree (usually used in the negative):

   They haven't finished by a long shot.

Example Sentences

Gun regulation, of course, was not the only successful initiative, not by a long shot.

From The Daily Beast

It does, and a little-known, long-shot Democrat is taking him to the wire.

From The Daily Beast

For now, neither Warren nor Clinton are campaigning with long-shot Democrats in the Hawkeye State.

From The Daily Beast

In 2012, Bentivolio filed as a long-shot primary candidate to take on idiosyncratic five-term incumbent Thaddeus McCotter.

From The Daily Beast

McCotter, fresh off a long-shot presidential bid, was expected to cruise to victory.

From The Daily Beast

A mile then was a long shot for the largest guns, and the Yankee cruisers had made a fair start.

From Project Gutenberg

You have a lot of soreheads to handle, here and at the division shops, and it isn't all their fault, not by a long shot.

From Project Gutenberg

Not that he or anybody else can tell me all about you—not by a long shot; I know boys and young men well enough for that.

From Project Gutenberg

Gavegan had grumbled to himself that it was only a thousand to one shot; but luck had been with him, and his long shot had won.

From Project Gutenberg

The actual limit is when the star has reached the density of a neutron, and this star hasn't collapsed that far by a long shot.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fluke