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Snatch defeat from the jaws of victory Meaning in English

expression

SNATCH di-FEET frum thuh jawz uhv VIK-ter-ee
SNATCH dif-EET from thuh jawz ov VIK-tuh-ree

Definition

To lose a game, competition, or opportunity unexpectedly when it seemed certain that you would win.

Usage & Nuances

This is an ironic idiom, often used humorously or sarcastically, especially in sports or competitions where someone loses after being very close to winning. Opposite of 'snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.' Not used in formal contexts.

Spanish: dejar escapar la victoria - perder cuando se estaba a punto de ganarPortuguese (BR): perder quando estava prestes a vencer - deixar a vitória escaparPortuguese (PT): perder quando estava prestes a vencer - deixar a vitória escaparChinese (Simplified): 在快要胜利时反而失败Chinese (Traditional): 在快要勝利時反而失敗Hindi: जीत के मुहाने पर हार जानाArabic: انتزع الهزيمة من فم النصرBengali: জয় নিশ্চিত থাকলে হঠাৎ পরাজয় বরণ করাRussian: проиграть в самый последний момент - упустить победуJapanese: 勝利目前で敗北するVietnamese: để tuột mất chiến thắng vào phút cuốiKorean: 승리가 눈앞인데 패하다Turkish: zaferi kaybetmek üzereyken mağlup olmakUrdu: فتح کے دہانے پر ہار جاناIndonesian: gần thắng mà lại thua

Example Sentences

Our team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by letting in a last-minute goal.

basic

They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after making a careless mistake.

basic

We almost won but ended up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

basic

It looked like we had the game in the bag, but somehow we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

natural

After leading by 20 points, they somehow still managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

natural

Leave it to this team to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory—they always find new ways to lose.

natural