pattern

Failure - Fruitlessness

Dive into English idioms regarding fruitlessness, like "wild goose chase" and "boil the ocean".

review-disable

Review

flashcard-disable

Flashcards

quiz-disable

Quiz

Start learning
English idioms related to Failure

to put effort into doing something unproductive and completely unnecessary

Ex: Trying to impress a group of musicians with your musical talent is bringing owls to Athens - they already have plenty of talented musicians .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to undertake something that is pointless

Ex: Trying to sell umbrellas on a rainy day in a place where there are many umbrella vendors is taking coals to Newcastle - it 's unnecessary and redundant .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to pursue a goal or aspiration that is unrealistic or unlikely to be achieved

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to completely fail to produce the intended or expected effect

Ex: The team 's hard work and went for naught when they lost the championship game .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to fail to achieve the desired results

Ex: The promising business came to nothing when the economy took a downturn .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

used to refer to something, such as a chance, idea, etc., that has been completely wasted or neglected

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to fail to produce or achieve the desired result

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to fail to achieve success despite the attempts made

Ex: I 'm trying to persuade her to come , but Igetting nowhere.
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in
in circles
[phrase]

with no success achieved or no progress made

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to engage in a fruitless or pointless activity

Ex: Trying to convince him to change his mind is like trying milk a bull - it 's just not going to happen .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to waste too much money, resources, or effort on doing something that proves to be unfulfilling in the end

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

a pursuit or search for something that is unlikely to produce any useful result

Ex: Sarah 's attempt to find her missing keys turned into wild goose chase as she searched every corner of the house without any luck .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to come to realize what could have been done to prevent something bad from happening after it has already happened

Ex: We may not know the right decision now , but we 'll wise after the event and learn from our mistakes .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to make an attempt to achieve something that seems extremely difficult or even impossible

Ex: Trying to achieve perfection in every aspect of the project is like trying boil the ocean - it 's not a realistic goal .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to engage in a futile or meaningless action in an attempt to resolve a problem or accomplish a task

Ex: I 've been trying to get her to listen to me , but it 's waving a dead chicken.
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to make a fruitless attempt in order to make something look more beautiful or successful

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to make a fruitless attempt to solve a problem

daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in

to disagree with or continue arguing about a decision that is already made

Ex: The two colleagues are still arguing about who should take credit for the project , but it 's arguing the toss at this point .
daily words
wordlist
Close
Sign in
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app