in vain
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead of the happy family reunion they'd always imagined, Godwin's first trip to the US was spent searching New York in vain for the father he'd waited years to reconnect with.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Her shower not only was disrupted, but it was in vain because Basu started to sweat immediately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Guy scanned the sea of bald caps in vain, then panicked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Crews worked into the night, and all day Saturday, in vain.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
It falls to us to pick up the mantle, to live by Kamal’s example and ensure that his life is not forgotten and that his death was not in vain.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
