Example: The odds are against winning the lottery this time.
Definition
"The odds are" is a phrase used to express the likelihood or probability of a particular outcome occurring, often implying that the outcome is unlikely or challenging. For example, "The odds are against winning the lottery this time" means winning is improbable.
The phrase "the odds are" originates from gambling terminology where 'odds' referred to the ratio of the likelihood of a particular result. Over time, it became a common idiom in general English to express chances or probabilities in everyday situations.
Learn to use this expression actively
"The odds are" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 106 commonly used expressions.
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