Wild Goose Chase.
English
idiom
A useless search or effort with little chance of success, ultimately resulting in wasted time.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
A useless search or effort with little chance of success, ultimately resulting in wasted time.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
A search or effort that wastes time because it leads nowhere or has no chance of success.
When you go on a wild goose chase, you spend energy chasing something that turns out to be impossible to find or achieve.
It's often used when someone is misled or pursues the wrong lead.
"Fool's Errand"
—
A task that is completely pointless from the very beginning
"Chasing Rainbows"
—
Pursuing impossible or unrealistic dreams that can never be achieved
"Wild Goose Chase"
—
A time-wasting search that leads nowhere, often due to misleading information
We spent two days chasing that bug to completely the wrong module.
Total wild goose chase — we need better logging systems next time.
I drove to three different stores looking for that one ingredient.
Sounds like a wild goose chase — was it even worth it?
I followed a shortcut that added an hour to my whole commute.
Classic wild goose chase — that app lies constantly.
