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Synonyms

odds-on

American  
[odz-on, -awn] / ˈɒdzˈɒn, -ˈɔn /

adjective

  1. being the one more or most likely to win, succeed, attain, or achieve something.

    the odds-on favorite.
odds-on British  

adjective

  1. (of a chance, horse, etc) rated at even money or less to win

  2. regarded as more or most likely to win, succeed, happen, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of odds-on

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.

Now, a little more than two years into the job, May has the Wolverines in the national championship as the odds-on favorites to cut down the nets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Expectations about the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting oscillated sharply this past week, with a quarter-point cut in the federal-funds target rate once again being the odds-on bet.

From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025

"He would have been odds-on to have the first haircut."

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2025

Though there’s no direct line between Hemingway and Luk Yu, it was the popular spot for an entourage such as this, so it’s the odds-on favorite.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025

It was to be a nine-horse race, and at the top of the list were three—count them—three odds-on favorites: 1.

From The Big Fix by Bernklau

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.