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Synonyms

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I’ve been trying to meet Jasper Johns, to no avail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The women said they tried to raise awareness and have the factory investigated by petitioning politicians and holding lawful protests, but to no avail.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

They finally used a bystander’s legs as a makeshift platform — to no avail.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

With their mother gone, the teenager tried to feed the baby, who was exclusively breastfed, formula to no avail.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

He had searched every one of those sickeningly quaint villages, with their happy yodelers and endless mugs of hot chocolate, but to no avail.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.