to no avail

Idioms  

1. Also, of little or no avail. Of no use or advantage, ineffective, as in All his shouting was to no avail; no one could hear him, or The life jacket was of little or no avail. This idiom uses avail in the sense of “advantage” or “assistance,” a usage dating from the mid-1400s. Also see to little purpose.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

to no avail

But the letters included allegations alone, no evidence or data verifying DHS’s claims, which Weber said she flagged and asked to see, to no avail.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026

“One time I thought I had a helicopter in my driveway,” said Nancy Monzidelis, a longtime Larchmont resident who has contacted the Federal Aviation Administration to no avail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Concerned employees reportedly ran the story by the outlet’s standards department, to no avail.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war to no avail.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

We protested against this restriction, but to no avail.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

• fruitless
• hollow
• impractical
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• insufficient
• trivial
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain
• worthless

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