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Synonyms

in the cards

Idioms  

  1. Likely or certain to happen, as in I don't think Jim will win—it's just not in the cards. This term, originally put as on the cards, alludes to the cards used in fortune-telling. [Early 1800s]

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.

A sedan could be in the cards, he said, if Ford can figure out a way to make it profitably.

From The Wall Street Journal

But pulling off a repeat performance in graphics processing units might not be in the cards, even with the current artificial-intelligence boom.

From MarketWatch

He believes a lot of recent interest in the cards stems from YouTuber Logan Paul wearing a Pikachu illustrator card - which is regarded as the rarest Pokémon card - around his neck for WrestleMania, a major wrestling event in April 2022.

From BBC

But a rapid escalation in oil investments in Venezuela isn’t in the cards, even for Chevron, the only U.S. oil company operating in the oil-rich Latin American country, people close to the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal

And while we were hoping to lead with a “fun one” in this return edition, that wasn’t in the cards.

From Slate

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.