reinvent the wheel

Idioms  

1. Do something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort, as in School committees need not reinvent the wheel every time they try to improve the curriculum. This expression alludes to the invention of a simple but very important device that requires no improvement. [Second half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reinvent the wheel

In fact, perhaps the biggest issue for Wolverine is that it doesn't reinvent the wheel like Spider-Man did.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

All book adaptations, whether from novels or memoirs, could stand to embellish the facts here and there, or go ahead and reinvent the wheel when possible.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

While it was daring in its hard-R riskiness and played on our basest fears, it didn’t reinvent the wheel, or even try to.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

This season, Saab did not reinvent the wheel, nor did he intend to.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2024

“It’s intelligent, and I think that it’s relatable hopefully for a lot of people. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel — it’s just really good, clever storytelling with compelling characters.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

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