long odds
noun
: a poor chance of winning
The team has made some major improvements, but they still face long odds.
Examples of long odds in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The animal always faced long odds to find its way out into the North Sea, itself a journey of several hundred kilometers (miles), and then to the Atlantic Ocean.
—
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Whatever the level of geopolitical volatility, millions of people like to buy a chance to win big at astonishingly long odds.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Harris, a retired general, faces long odds in the heavily Republican district but Democrats tout strong special election performance.
—Jeff Amy, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Because of the long odds against Sarah living.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for long 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.
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Whatever the level of geopolitical volatility, millions of people like to buy a chance to win big at astonishingly long odds.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
Harris, a retired general, faces long odds in the heavily Republican district but Democrats tout strong special election performance.
—Jeff Amy, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Because of the long odds against Sarah living.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for long odds
Cite this Entry
“Long odds.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20odds. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
