Meanings
verbbeat the odds (third-person singular simple present beats the odds, present participle beating the odds, simple past beat the odds, past participle beaten the odds or (colloquial) beat the odds)
present singular third person beats the odds · participle present beating the odds · participle past beaten the odds
- idiomaticinformalTo succeed despite being unlikely to do so.
The emotional appeal of the Trickster is that of the perpetual underdog who sometimes beats the odds. He surprises human beings and offers them hope in his illustration of freedom from destiny.
1983, Wendy Griswold, “The Devil's Techniques: Cultural Legitimation and Social Change”, in American Sociological Review, volume 48, number 5, page 669b of 668–680
Cite this entry
APA
beat the odds. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20the%20odds
MLA
“beat the odds.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20the%20odds. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beat the odds,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20the%20odds.
Source: beat the odds on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.