snatch defeat from the jaws of victory
To suddenly lose a contest one seemed very likely to win, especially through mistakes or bad judgment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“They played poorly and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.”
“The team led by ten points until the final minute, when they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with two careless errors.”
“Despite holding a commanding lead throughout the entire tournament, the champion faltered at the final hurdle and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.”
An ironic reversal of snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
- 01
get wind in one's jaws
To have too much to say; talk too much; run at the mouth; to speak one's mind or voice one's opinion about a matter; blabber
- 02
have one's wig snatched
To be shocked or stunned.
- 03
hold one's jaw
To refrain from talking, to hold one's tongue, to be quiet.
- 04
jaw away
to jabber; to gabble; to ramble
- 05
make someone's jaw drop
To cause someone to be very surprised or alarmed.
- 06
snatch the pebble
To fully grasp the meaning of a concept or to develop a skill to a high degree of proficiency, often that rivals some specific expert.
- 07
snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
To suddenly win a contest when it appears that loss is a foregone conclusion, to succeed in an endeavor through reversal of fortune, skill, effort, or good judgment.
- 08
someone's jaw dropped
somebody was very surprised.
Last updated August 10, 2026