stack the odds against (someone)

idiom

: to make it less likely for someone to win, succeed, etc.
His drug use was stacking the odds against him giving him no chance of finding a good job.

Examples of stack the odds against (someone) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dave Meador recognized that the rules for inducting older players stack the odds against them. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023 Sportsbooks are bullish about the big game, in part because some of the trendiest ways to wager stack the odds against customers even more than usual. Danny Funt, WSJ, 11 Feb. 2023 Whatever the reason, the high rate of failure does seem to stack the odds against budding tech entrepreneurs. Marius Mihalec, Forbes, 5 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stack the odds against (someone).' 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

“Stack the odds against (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stack%20the%20odds%20against%20%28someone%29. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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