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

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

Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, many leaders fighting losing wars have attempted to somehow snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. —Dan Reiter, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2022