waste one's breath

Idioms

Speak in vain (because no one agrees), as in Don't waste your breath complaining to the supervisor—it won't help. This notion was first recorded about 1400 as wasting words. The exact idiom was first recorded in 1667. Also see save one's breath.

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.

See Examples For:

waste one's breath

It is hard when, in the race for woman's favor, one has to waste one's breath in making the running for one's rival.

From Bred in the Bone by Payn, James

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