beat the odds
idiom
: to succeed despite not having a good chance of succeeding
Most new restaurants fail, but this one somehow managed to beat the odds.
Examples of beat the odds in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Whether or not Knueppel can beat the odds and overtake Flagg for NBA Rookie of the Year with two months left in the season remains to be seen.
—
Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Kurt's key takeaways Jamie Grohsong's journey back to baseball is not a story about beating the odds.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Every year a few of those teams beat the odds by not beating themselves to win 10 or 11 games, and make the playoffs.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025
Both beat the odds and paved the way for many more vegan restaurants to come.
—Mikayla Price, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat the odds
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
Kurt's key takeaways Jamie Grohsong's journey back to baseball is not a story about beating the odds.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Every year a few of those teams beat the odds by not beating themselves to win 10 or 11 games, and make the playoffs.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025
Both beat the odds and paved the way for many more vegan restaurants to come.
—Mikayla Price, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat the odds
Cite this Entry
“Beat the odds.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat%20the%20odds. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
