nine times out of ten
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Far more often than not; in a great preponderance. Possession is nine points of the law. It is every advantage a person can have short of actual right.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “nine times out of ten” mean?
Far more often than not; in a great preponderance. Possession is nine points of the law. It is every advantage a person can have short of actual right.
Is “nine times out of ten” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.