word-vault

{ "term": "odds", "partOfSpeech": "noun", "academic": true, "ox5000": true, "cefr": "c1", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "the degree to which something is likely to happen", "cefr": "c1", "examples": [ { "text": "**The odds are** very much **in our favour** *(= we are likely to succeed)*." }, { "text": "**The odds** are heavily **against him** *(= he is not likely to succeed)*." }, { "text": "**The odds are that** *(= it is likely that)* she'll win." }, { "text": "**What are the odds** *(= how likely is it)* he won't turn up?" } ], "collocations": { "adjective": ["considerable", "great", "impossible"], "verb + odds": ["offer", "quote", "lay"], "odds + verb": ["fall", "go down", "lengthen"], "preposition": ["against the odds", "odds against", "odds of"], "phrases": [ "against all odds", "against all the odds", "face impossible odds" ] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "something that makes it seem impossible to do or achieve something", "sensetop": "against the oddsodds against (doing) something", "cefr": "c1", "examples": [ { "text": "They secured a victory in the face of overwhelming odds." }, { "text": "She **defied the odds** to beat the clear favourite." }, { "text": "to beat/overcome the odds" }, { "text": "The film is a heart-warming tale of triumph against the odds.", "contextForm": "against the odds" }, { "text": "**Against all (the) odds**, he made a full recovery." }, { "text": "The odds against making a profit in this business are huge.", "contextForm": "odds against (doing) something" }, { "text": "He will try hard to win, although he knows the odds are stacked against him." }, { "text": "She struggled against terrible odds to overcome her illness." } ], "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["considerable", "great", "impossible"], "verb + odds": ["offer", "quote", "lay"], "odds + verb": ["fall", "go down", "lengthen"], "preposition": ["against the odds", "odds against", "odds of"], "phrases": [ "against all odds", "against all the odds", "face impossible odds" ] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "the connection between two numbers that shows how much money somebody will receive if they win a bet", "sensetop": "odds on somebody/something", "labels": "(figurative)", "cefr": "c1", "examples": [ { "text": "odds of ten to one *(= ten times the amount of money that has been bet by somebody will be paid to them if they win)*" }, { "text": "They are offering **long/short odds** *(= the prize money will be high/low because there is a high/low risk of losing)* on the defending champion.", "contextForm": "odds on somebody/something" }, { "text": "I'll **lay odds** on him getting the job *(= I'm sure he will get it)*." }, { "text": "The bookmakers are offering only short odds on the favourite." }, { "text": "Sometimes an outsider will win at long odds, but not often." }, { "text": "The odds on the outsider were 100–1." }, { "text": "I put £10 on Middlesbrough to beat Manchester at odds of three to one." } ], "collocations": { "adjective": ["considerable", "great", "impossible"], "verb + odds": ["offer", "quote", "lay"], "odds + verb": ["fall", "go down", "lengthen"], "preposition": ["against the odds", "odds against", "odds of"], "phrases": [ "against all odds", "against all the odds", "face impossible odds" ] } }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to disagree with somebody about something", "examples": [ { "text": "He's always at odds with his father over politics." } ], "topics": ["Opinion and argument"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be different from something, when the two things should be the same", "examples": [ { "text": "These findings are at odds with what is going on in the rest of the country." } ], "synonyms": "conflict" }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "you are unlikely to succeed because the conditions are not good for you", "examples": [], "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "you are likely to succeed because the conditions are good and you have an advantage", "examples": [], "topics": ["Success"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to say that something is not important", "labels": "(informal, especially British English)", "examples": [ { "text": "It makes no odds to me whether you go or stay." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "more money than you would normally expect", "labels": "(British English, informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Many collectors are willing to pay over the odds for early examples of his work." } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/ɒdz/", "audio": "od/odds/odds__gb_1.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/ɑːdz/", "audio": "od/odds/odds__us_1.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "early 16th cent.: apparently the plural of the obsolete noun odd ‘odd number or odd person’." }