nine times out of ten

adverb

Very often, mostly, most of the time.

Similar
more often than not
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Meanings

adverbnine times out of ten (not comparable)
  1. idiomaticnot comparableVery often, mostly, most of the time.

    Hawk-eyed bus-tour agents mounting watch at the intersections, flaunting printed signs tucked in the bands of their visored caps to advertise their business, claim they can spot the hickster nine times out of ten.

    1960, William Garland Rogers, Mildred Weston, Carnival crossroads: the story of Times Square

    Synonyms: more often than not

  2. not comparableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see nine, times, out of, ten.

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbVery often, mostly, most of the time.

Similar
more often than not
Also see
more often than notmost of the timeusually
Cite this entry
APA

nine times out of ten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nine%20times%20out%20of%20ten

MLA

“nine times out of ten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nine%20times%20out%20of%20ten. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nine times out of ten,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nine%20times%20out%20of%20ten.

Source: nine times out of ten on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.