odds
noun [ plural ]
uk/ɒdz/ usthe odds of something happening are how probable it is that it will happen:
the odds are against sth At the moment it seems the odds are against a deal.
the odds are on sth/in sth's favour They are so evenly matched, the odds are on a draw.
the odds are good/strong The odds are good that the country's transformation will proceed smoothly.
good/better odds People retiring today have better odds than ever of living a long healthy life.
the odds are slim/long Given the poor economic climate, the odds of success are slim.
how probable something is, expressed as a pair of numbers or a percentage, for example when betting :
good/bad odds We think 6 to 2 are good odds.
the odds are ... against/in favour of sth The odds are 100-1 against him getting the job.
the odds of sth happening For taxpayers with incomes above $100,000 the odds of being audited in 2006 were 1 in 59.
be at odds (with sb/sth)
to disagree with someone:
She and her boss are at odds over the issue of training.
On this issue, Britain is at odds with the rest of the EU.
if two things are at odds, they are very different and cannot both be correct:
These findings are at odds with our research.
Management's and shareholders' interests seem to be at odds.
against the odds/against all odds
used to say that someone has achieved something or succeeded despite this being very unlikely:
Against all odds, she won the case.
the odds are against sb/in sb's favour
someone is unlikely/likely to succeed:
In a case like this, the odds are against the defendant.
over the odds UK informal
more than something is really worth:
They paid way over the odds for their new offices.