one in a million

English

Noun

one in a million

1. Something extremely rare or unlikely.
   • 1686, Gideon Harvey, The Conclave of Physicians, in Two Parts: Detecting Their Intrigues, Frauds, and Plots..., London: for James Partridge, page 43:

     […] most commonly break outwardly, and not one in a Million inwardly.

   • 1980 June, Dees, Sam (lyrics and music), “One in a Million You”, in One in a Million You, performed by Larry Graham, Warner Bros.:

     A one in a million, chance of a lifetime ... one in a million you.

Synonyms

• hen's tooth, long shot; see also Thesaurus:rarity

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: yksi miljoonasta
• French: perle rare (fr) f

Further reading

• “be one in a million”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “one in a million”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “one in a million”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “one in a million”, in Collins English Dictionary.