odd man out

or odd-man-out

See synonyms for odd man out on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a method of selecting or eliminating a person from a group, as by matching coins, especially in preparation for playing a game.

  2. the person so selected or eliminated.

  1. a game consisting of this method.

Origin of odd man out

1
First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use odd man out in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with odd man out

odd man out

A person who is left out of a group for some reason, as in The invitation was for couples only, so Jane was odd man out. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.