against all odds

Idioms

In spite of seeming very unlikely, as in Against all odds we had a snowstorm in early May, or Against all odds the slower team won. This transfer of a betting term to general usage occurred about 1900.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The ICC case reflects the determination of victims and their families to advance justice against all odds and dangers," said Maria Elena Vignoli, senior international justice counsel at the NGO.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

"This next chapter is Me vs. Me! It's me against all odds me against everything meant to get in my way," she wrote.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

“Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2025

“These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power and yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it.”

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

She pointed to a fig tree and told Ishmael she’d planted it more years ago than she could remember; against all odds it had taken hold and produced enormous quantities of sweet figs.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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