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by all odds

 - 4 dictionary results

odds

  [odz]
Use by all odds in a Sentence
–noun (usually used with a plural verb)
1. the probability that something is so, will occur, or is more likely to occur than something else: The odds are that it will rain today.
2. the ratio of probability that something is so, will occur, or is more likely to occur than something else.
3. this ratio used as the basis of a bet; the ratio by which the bet of one party to a wager exceeds that of the other, granted by one of two betting opponents to equalize the chances favoring one of them: The odds are two-to-one that it won't rain today.
4. an equalizing allowance, as that given the weaker person or team in a contest; handicap.
5. an advantage or degree of superiority on the side of two contending parties; a difference favoring one of two contestants.
6. an amount or degree by which one thing is better or worse than another.
—Idioms
7. at odds, at variance; in disagreement: They were usually at odds over political issues.
8. by all odds, in every respect; by far; undoubtedly: She is by all odds the brightest child in the family. Also, by long odds, by odds.
Origin:
1490–1500; special use of odd
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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odds   (ŏdz)   
pl.n.  

  1. A certain number of points given beforehand to a weaker side in a contest to equalize the chances of all participants.

    1. The ratio of the probability of an event's occurring to the probability of its not occurring.

    2. The likelihood of the occurrence of one thing rather than the occurrence of another thing, as in a contest: The odds are that she will get the nomination on the first ballot.

  3. Games A ratio expressing the amount by which the stake of one bettor differs from that of an opposing bettor.

  4. An amount or a degree by which one thing exceeds or falls short of another: won the contest by considerable odds.


[Pl. of odd.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

odds 
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" (1548), from odd (q.v.), though the sense evolution is uncertain. Always treated as a singular, though obviously a plural (cf. news).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

by all odds

By far, as in She is by all odds the best player on the team. This idiom uses odds in the sense of "the amount by which one thing excels or exceeds." [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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