can't fight City Hall

Idioms

Unable to overcome bureaucratic rules, as in Brad couldn't get a permit without going through channels—you can't fight City Hall! This term transfers the seat of city government to a more general sense of bureaucracy in any sphere. [Mid-1800s]

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.

You can undoubtedly imagine some of the responses: "You can't fight City Hall!"

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2023

"I knew right away there was something wrong there. I knew that camera was broken, but you can't fight City Hall — and that is a fact."

From Chicago Tribune • Jul. 18, 2014

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