fool's errand
Americannoun
noun
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.
Betting against Nvidia has also been a fool’s errand in the past three years.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
According to history, betting against Microsoft’s stock over the longer term has been a fool’s errand.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
Trying to explain journalistic ethics to a lifelong criminal was probably a fool’s errand, but I still tried.
From Slate • Dec. 1, 2025
On a normal cruise out of Florida, finding a free chair with a view of the ocean can be a fool’s errand, unless you’re willing to get up at daybreak.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025
But Rosencrantz was not at the ball, for he had been sent by Hamlet on a fool's errand.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
