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
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An undrafted free agent, Braman beat the odds and made it to the NFL, a conspicuous figure on the field with his flowing hair and his dedication to the game.
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Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 18 July 2025
The family was emotional on Wednesday night: Dallas is a lot farther from Maine than Charlotte, N.C. or Washington D.C, whose teams both had better chances to land the No. 1 draft pick over the Mavericks, who beat the odds with a 1.8% chance of drafting him.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 26 June 2025
Nor is there doubt who will take him: the Dallas Mavericks, who somehow beat the odds coming into the NBA Draft Lottery — a 1.8 percent chance of getting the top pick — to walk right into their post-Luka Dončiċ era without breaking stride.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Then again, Miami beat the odds this past weekend, winning the four-team Hattiesburg Regional as the three seed.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
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Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 18 July 2025
The family was emotional on Wednesday night: Dallas is a lot farther from Maine than Charlotte, N.C. or Washington D.C, whose teams both had better chances to land the No. 1 draft pick over the Mavericks, who beat the odds with a 1.8% chance of drafting him.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 26 June 2025
Nor is there doubt who will take him: the Dallas Mavericks, who somehow beat the odds coming into the NBA Draft Lottery — a 1.8 percent chance of getting the top pick — to walk right into their post-Luka Dončiċ era without breaking stride.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Then again, Miami beat the odds this past weekend, winning the four-team Hattiesburg Regional as the three seed.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 June 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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