odds
pronunciation
How to pronounce odds in British English:
UK [ɒdz]
How to pronounce odds in American English:
US [ɑːdz]
-
- Noun:
- the probability of a specified outcome
- the ratio by which one better's wager is greater than that of another
Word Origin
- odds (n.)
- in wagering sense, found first in Shakespeare ("2 Henry IV," 1597), probably from earlier sense of "amount by which one thing exceeds or falls short of another" (1540s), from odd (q.v.), though the sense evolution is uncertain. Until 19c. treated as a singular, though obviously a plural (compare news).
Example
- 1. The odds of a safe landing are dwindling fast .
- 2. Robots protect soldiers and improve their odds of success .
- 3. When emotion and logic are at odds , emotion usually wins .
- 4. She is , by long odds , the most intelligent and bemusing of women .
- 5. The odds of a long , nasty recession are growing .