against all odds
16
3.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
contra todo pronóstico
- In 1948, Israel became, against all odds, a sovereign nation once again.
Soon, however, word spread that, against all odds, his pictures seemed real.
- Soon, however, word spread that, against all odds, his pictures seemed real.
- Yet somehow, against all odds, we managed to beat Stanford every time.
- It was built to fail and then against all odds it was a hit.
- It's a fascinating film, coming of age against all odds.
- OR will the powers of the Old World, against all odds, find a way to defy this unstoppable wave of change?
- If you are an underdog, you got to believe against all odds.
- It is you and I in our ordinariness, that are here we privileged few who won the lottery of birth against all odds.
- Someone who just believes himself and does what the fuck they want against all odds, go against the grade of everything, bang.
Examples
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She finished the marathon, against all odds, even after injuring her ankle.
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This peace is due to, and only due to the bravery of the Arcaders, who, against all odds, stepped up and saved us all.
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Soon, however, word spread that, against all odds, his pictures seemed real.
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Let's say, against all odds, you manage to get a job.
Blog text (2) -
The winner tonight has succeeded against all odds.
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Yet somehow, against all odds, we managed to beat Stanford every time.
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And I believe we are destiny, meant to survive against all odds.
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Great to see an Asian athlete who, against all odds, was not supposed to succeed in the sport.
Blog text (26) -
Pete, against all odds, went on to become a doctor in London, specializing in children with disabilities.
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Against all odds, with the courage that only a mother can bring, Sita has raised three magnificent cheetahs.
Synonyms
5
8.3
No matter what happens or how difficult it is
How Unlikely
- Informal
16
3.9
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally derivable: 'against' (contrary to) + 'all' (every) + 'odds' (chances) yields 'contrary to all chances,' which directly corresponds to 'despite unlikely circumstances.' This pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Against all odds comes from old betting talk: odds show how likely a horse or a team is to win, so when a weak horse wins it does so 'against the odds'. That's why today the phrase means 'succeeding despite very low chances'.