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can't see the forest for the trees

Cultural

An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole: “The congressman became so involved in the wording of his bill that he couldn't see the forest for the trees; he did not realize that the bill could never pass.”

can't see the forest for the trees Idioms

Also, can't see the wood for the trees. Focus only on small details and fail to understand larger plans or principles, as in Alex argues about petty cash and overlooks the budget—he can't see the forest for the trees. This expression was already a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2022

Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2019

We can't see the forest for the trees?

From Golf Digest • Jun. 6, 2016

They are missing the point and can’t see the forest for the trees.

From Time • Jun. 26, 2015

And don’t unnecessarily disturb its beastly cousins nest of vipers and hornet’s nest. can’t see the forest for the trees.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023