Meanings
- idiomaticinformalTo have no chance or possibility, usually in the face of peril or adversity.
When the lights went dark in their flooded compartment, the submariners knew that they did not have a prayer.
1 more example
It's all over, people! We don't have a prayer!
1995, John Schwarzwelder, The Simpsons, season 6, episode 14 "Bart's Comet", spoken by Reverend Lovejoy (Harry Shearer)Synonyms: without a prayer
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo have no chance or possibility, usually in the face of peril or adversity.
Origin
Implies that not even divine intervention could save the person.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
not have a prayer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20have%20a%20prayer
“not have a prayer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20have%20a%20prayer. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not have a prayer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20have%20a%20prayer.
Source: not have a prayer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.