odds
noun
Form of odd , plural of odd.
Simple meaning
The ratio of the probability of an event happening to that of it not happening.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ahdzIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɑdz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The ratio of the probability of an event happening to that of it not happening.
The ratio of winnings to stake in betting situations.
chess
An advantage given to a weaker opponent in order to equalize the game when playing casually, usually by removing one of the stronger player's pieces or by giving the weaker player more time.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The ratio of the probability of an event happening to that of it not happening.
Used this way, odds is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. This sense is about measurement, so it is used where accuracy is the point.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Academic writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use odds
- “He offered odds of two to one.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A motley assortment of things.
Someone who sets the betting odds based on calculations of the outcome of a contest (especially a horse race).
The ratio by which one better's wager is greater than that of another.
Without question and beyond doubt.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: ratio of the probability of an event happening to that of it not happening
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.