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.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The team snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the final minute.”
“You snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with that last-minute goal.”
“We often snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when we work together.”
“Despite trailing by ten points, the captain scored twice to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.”
“The company managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by signing a major contract just hours before they ran out of money.”
“After failing the first two rounds of the debate, the student used a brilliant final argument to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.”
“With only seconds remaining on the clock, the underdog athlete performed a miraculous final maneuver to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.”
The first recorded use of the phrase discovered to date is an article criticizing Representative James Seddon of Virginia for claiming that a regiment in the Mexican–American War had "snatched 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 defeat from the jaws of victory
To suddenly lose a contest one seemed very likely to win, especially through mistakes or bad judgment.
- 07
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.
- 08
someone's jaw dropped
somebody was very surprised.
Last updated August 10, 2026