lost cause

American  

noun

1. a cause that has been defeated or whose defeat is inevitable.

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lost cause British  

noun

1. a cause with no chance of success

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lost cause Idioms  

1. A hopeless undertaking, as in Trying to get him to quit smoking is a lost cause. In the 1860s this expression was widely used to describe the Confederacy. [Mid-1800s] Also see losing battle.

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Etymology

Origin of lost cause

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

This looked like a lost cause, and I was real ready to go.

From Literature

Tim Seifert whacked 52 from 26 balls but around him New Zealand lost regular wickets in pursuit of a lost cause, including Finn Allen, the Black Caps' semi-final centurion, for nine in the third over.

From BBC

“Trying to make OpenClaw fully safe to use is a lost cause,” said security start-up Aikido in a February blog post.

From Barron's

Added to a pantry pasta when you realize the crisper drawer is a lost cause.

From Salon

The lithe physique of the rubber man of tennis enabled him to chase down seemingly lost causes and he combined a brutally efficient game with a rock-solid defence.

From Barron's