odd man out
Americannoun
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a method of selecting or eliminating a person from a group, as by matching coins, especially in preparation for playing a game.
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the person so selected or eliminated.
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a game consisting of this method.
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A person who is left out of a group for some reason, as in The invitation was for couples only, so Jane was odd man out . [Mid-1800s]
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Something or someone who differs markedly from the others in a group, as in Among all those ranch-style houses, their Victorian was odd man out . [Late 1800s]
Etymology
Origin of odd man out
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
“They end up the odd man out and their capacity gets taken by power plants, and now data centers.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
I can hear the faint creaking of floorboards in my house yet when I’m in the middle of a robust three-way conversation, I feel like the odd man out.
From Salon • Sep. 30, 2024
Sometimes I felt like the odd man out.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024
Defenseman Will Borgen has been logging around 17 minutes a night for the Kraken for so long it’s hard to remember he was once the odd man out.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2024
“I’m going to be the actual odd man out who gets left out and forgotten.”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
