against all odds
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Succeeding despite very low chances
Literally: opposed to all probabilities
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “against all odds” mean?
Succeeding despite very low chances Literally: opposed to all probabilities
Is “against all odds” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“chết hụt” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.