the jaws of defeat
noun phrase
: the position of being close to losing
The team was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by scoring in the final seconds of the game.
Examples of the jaws of defeat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And in Game 4, the Clippers had a whole heart attack of turnovers before having to snatch victory back from the jaws of defeat.
—
Law Murray, The Athletic, 30 Apr. 2024
Dodgers beat Yankees in exciting first game of the World Series
02:18
Did the Los Angeles Dodgers really just go steal victory from the jaws of defeat in Game 1 of the World Series with one out left to spare?
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024
In one of the craziest upsets in recent UFC history, Leon Edwards snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a head-kick KO win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
After surprisingly—but not inexplicably—snatching victory from the jaws of defeat over and over, Paul has learned to love the controversy.
—Jasmine Ball, Fortune, 15 June 2024
The first two episodes were one long daisy chain of escalating close calls, narrow escapes, and victories snatched from the jaws of defeat (only to be dropped immediately into a new, larger pair of jaws), connected by the Freddy shotgun-murder cliffhanger.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2024
After the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, Iran’s rapid delivery of aid enabled Hezbollah to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and outmaneuver the Lebanese government by providing instantaneous compensation and rebuilding programs.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
While shareholder activist Nelson Peltz tried to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in his proxy fight with Disney, CEO Bob Iger secured a resounding win at Wednesday’s annual general meeting.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Lucas Paquetá, who had taken over the captains armband from Vinicius, converted from the spot in the 96th minute; snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Law Murray, The Athletic, 30 Apr. 2024
Dodgers beat Yankees in exciting first game of the World Series
02:18
Did the Los Angeles Dodgers really just go steal victory from the jaws of defeat in Game 1 of the World Series with one out left to spare?
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024
In one of the craziest upsets in recent UFC history, Leon Edwards snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a head-kick KO win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024
After surprisingly—but not inexplicably—snatching victory from the jaws of defeat over and over, Paul has learned to love the controversy.
—Jasmine Ball, Fortune, 15 June 2024
The first two episodes were one long daisy chain of escalating close calls, narrow escapes, and victories snatched from the jaws of defeat (only to be dropped immediately into a new, larger pair of jaws), connected by the Freddy shotgun-murder cliffhanger.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2024
After the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, Iran’s rapid delivery of aid enabled Hezbollah to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and outmaneuver the Lebanese government by providing instantaneous compensation and rebuilding programs.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
While shareholder activist Nelson Peltz tried to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in his proxy fight with Disney, CEO Bob Iger secured a resounding win at Wednesday’s annual general meeting.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Lucas Paquetá, who had taken over the captains armband from Vinicius, converted from the spot in the 96th minute; snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near the jaws of defeat
Cite this Entry
“The jaws of defeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20jaws%20of%20defeat. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share