LONG SHOT Definition & Meaning

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long shot

[ lawng shot, long ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

a horse, team, etc., that has little chance of winning and carries long odds.
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.
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

a competitor, as in a race, considered to be unlikely to win
a bet against heavy odds
an undertaking, guess, or possibility with little chance of success
films television a shot where the camera is or appears to be distant from the object to be photographed
by a long shot
by any means
he still hasn't finished by a long shot

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First recorded in 1785–95

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by a long shot, by any means; by a measurable degree (usually used in the negative):
They haven't finished by a long shot.

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Examples have not been reviewed.

Hovland was far from perfect and still fearful of losing long shots high and right, but he had a foundation to make him competitive.

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It was a long shot — Chung did not think they could afford a Steinway.

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So while Torres has a chance, she remains a long shot.

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We did really long shots and long scenes.

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Siegenthaler scored just 1:34 later on a long shot through traffic for the Swiss defenseman’s first goal since Nov. 7.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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