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you can't win 'em all

Idioms  

  1. Success is not inevitable, as in They published your article but not your rebuttal to the reviewer? Well, you can't win 'em all. [First half of 1900s] For a synonym, see win some, lose some.

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.

This smile is a more emotionally accepting version of the surrender cobra—a signal that you gave it your best, but you can’t win ’em all.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2016

“For the most part. My roommate’s kind of an asshole, but you can’t win ’em all, I guess.”

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

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.