tilt at windmills

1. Engage in conflict with an imagined opponent, pursue a vain goal, as in Trying to reform campaign financing in this legislature is tilting at windmills. This metaphoric expression alludes to the hero of Miguel de Cervantes'Don Quixote (1605), who rides with his lance at full tilt (poised to strike) against a row of windmills, which he mistakes for evil giants.

Example Sentences

Sometimes you have to tilt at windmills.

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But her husband had an explanation, she said: “He goes, ‘We both tilt at windmills.’”

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A potato farmer whose name playfully refers to Don Quixote, he didn’t tilt at windmills but lived in one.

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These behind-the-scenes preparations underscore the reality that while Trump may continue to tilt at windmills, his tenure as the president of the United States is ending.

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Reportedly, he will continue to tilt at windmills into late-April, waging war in Pennsylvania and New York.

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