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

They were comfortable confiding in one another to the point of calling the war “already a lost cause for Germany,” as Kiep put it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

If you were considered a lost cause, how were you able to make such a surprising comeback?

From Slate • Nov. 19, 2025

But nor is it the case that democracy in our country is a lost cause.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2025

This year, however, has become a lost cause.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2025

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

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck