lost cause

noun

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

lost cause

noun

1. a cause with no chance of success

Word History and Origins

Origin of lost cause¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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.

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The season is far from a lost cause.

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He tried, moving trash cans and nudging back, then reluctantly concluding it was a lost cause.

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Between that lost cause and all the attention the left has managed to focus on how broken ObamaCare is in general, you might think that a good day to bail out.

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Red Bull's Verstappen has turned a seemingly lost cause into a thrilling late, if unexpected, charge for a fifth title.

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