all bets are off

idiom

used to describe a situation in which it is impossible to be sure about what will happen
All bets are off on the election: it's too close to call.

Examples of all bets are off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But while Democrats hope the vibes never change, operatives in both parties have predicted Harris' campaign will come back down to earth -- and then, all bets are off. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2024 If Trump wins the election, all bets are off for a resurrection of the case. Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 21 July 2024 After that, all bets are off in what is predicted to be a hyperactive season. Andrew Freedman, Axios, 19 July 2024 When the Black Death strikes the city of Florence in 1348, all bets are off — at least for a handful of nobles who retreat to a grand villa to wait out the plague. Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 10 July 2024 This impasse is unlikely to be resolved until the war in Ukraine ends in some sort of peaceful settlement—unless Trump returns to the White House in January 2025, in which case, all bets are off. Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023 If someone is nursing a ginger ale for an hour, then all bets are off. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2023 Similar to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its adherence to Star Wars: A New Hope, Chapter 1 follows suit with Bertino’s 2008 film, but all bets are off for Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024 And once the game starts — especially a basketball game — all bets are off. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'all bets are off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“All bets are off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all%20bets%20are%20off. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

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