go for nothing

Idioms  

1. Be useless, serve no purpose. For example, He lost the case, so all our efforts on his behalf went for nothing. [Late 1500s] Also see go for, def. 2.

---

Example Sentences

PSG therefore want to sell the France forward now and secure a transfer fee rather than let him go for nothing.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2023

And, the franchise got a return for its asset instead of letting him go for nothing as an unrestricted free agent in July.

From Washington Times • Feb. 25, 2018

And, the franchise got a return for its asset instead of letting him go for nothing as an unrestricted free agent in July.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 25, 2018

The Wizards won’t balk at matching the offer because Porter is really good, more valuable than his numbers, and they don’t have the salary cap flexibility to let him go for nothing.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2017

I had heard there were public or free schools where children could go for nothing, but nobody to my knowledge went to them.

From Our Philadelphia by Pennell, Elizabeth Robins