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

The businessman filmed people making off with over six containers of lighting equipment the morning after the tremors, appealing for help on social media but to no avail.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

In 2021, specialist officers working as part of a unit investigating organised crime also investigated to no avail, though did rule it was "foul play".

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

One 59-year-old with 34 years of experience in the financial-services sector has been job hunting for 17 months, to no avail.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

Sheriff’s personnel responded to the scene at 3 p.m. and used deescalation tactics to try to coax the suspect from the car for several hours to no avail.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

Sam stayed on the farm for three days, pursuing the affections of Georgina to no avail.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

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