Beat the Odds

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🗓️ Idiom: Beat the Odds (v)

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💬 Meaning

• To succeed in a situation where success is unlikely or difficult.
• To overcome challenges or low expectations and achieve a positive result.

🧠 Example Sentences

• Despite being a small startup, they beat the odds and captured a huge share of the market.
• She beat the odds by closing a major deal in a highly competitive industry.
• The campaign beat the odds and delivered results no one anticipated.

🏛️ Origin

The phrase “beat the odds” comes from gambling, where “odds” represent the chances of a particular outcome. Beating the odds means winning or succeeding when the probability is against you. Over time, it became a common idiom for overcoming difficult circumstances.

📝 Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank:

The company __________ by launching a product that no one expected to succeed.

Answer

beat the odds

2. Choose the correct meaning of “beat the odds”:

A) To avoid responsibility
B) To fail despite strong chances
C) To succeed despite low chances

Answer

C) To succeed despite low chances

3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

“They succeeded even though nobody believed they could.” → Change the sentence using: beat the odds

Answer

They beat the odds even though nobody believed they could.

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ℹ️ Other Useful Pages

👉 Marketing and Sales Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
👉 Student Space
👉 Tutor Toolkit

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