How to Use the jaws of defeat in a Sentence

the jaws of defeat

noun phrase
  • The team continuously overcame double-digit fourth-quarter deficits to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
  • With Friday's announcement, he's effectively pulled victory from the jaws of defeat.
    — Alex Sherman, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
  • The Syracuse Orange were able to steal victory from the jaws of defeat in their Week 2 matchup against the UConn Huskies.
    — Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 38 points, including a heroic fourth-quarter effort that enabled the Knicks to wrestle away a victory from the jaws of defeat.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 22 May 2026
  • For three quarters Iowa State looked very much like a team that has lost four straight games, but when the game was on the line, somehow the Cyclones were able to dig deep and find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2025
  • But from the jaws of defeat, Team USA pulled off an astonishing Olympic comeback, sending the players leaving Italy with gold medals swinging around their necks.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Kentucky snagged victory from the jaws of defeat in its 89-84 overtime win against Santa Clara Friday at the Enterprise Center.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Of course, Shrader nailed the 45-yarder, the Colts reached back into the jaws of defeat and yanked out a win, and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was left to stare blankly into the distance on a sideline bench.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to snatch victory away from the jaws of defeat for a second straight week in their thrilling Monday Night Football matchup against the Houston Texans.
    — Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The Denver Broncos were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday against the New York Giants, scoring 33 fourth quarter points to come away with a 33-32 victory to move to 5-2 on the 2025 season.
    — Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the jaws of defeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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