wild-goose chase

[ wahyld-goos ]

/ ˈwaɪldˈgus /

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See synonyms for wild-goose chase on Thesaurus.com

noun

a wild or absurd search for something nonexistent or unobtainable: a wild-goose chase looking for a building long demolished.

any senseless pursuit of an object or end; a hopeless enterprise: Her scheme of being a movie star is a wild-goose chase.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of wild-goose chase

First recorded in 1585–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wild-goose chase in a sentence

He has wild swings between trying not to care about Lana and the baby, and being completely obsessed by it.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One of the other cops fired three times and those who were still able to give chase did.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cops gave chase and the gunman fired the big revolver twice more.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The sound of birds, quail, even doe, make a wild grid of noise.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Exactly when the transition to modern domestic creature took place, for a bird that is wild to this day, is controversial.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are so rich in harmony, so weird, so wild, that when you hear them you are like a sea-weed cast upon the bosom of the ocean.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
For a moment Joe stood behind her, silently, looking over her shoulder at the signature of Isom Chase.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
The white men served their smoking cannon with a wild energy that, for a time, made the gallant nine equal to a thousand.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A cricket-match was in progress, but the bowling and batting were extremely wild, thanks to The Warren strong beer.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
People are busy ballooning or driving; shooting like stars along railroads; or migrating like swallows or wild-geese.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for wild-goose chase

wild-goose chase

noun

an absurd or hopeless pursuit, as of something unattainable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wild-goose chase

wild goose chase

A futile search or pursuit, as in I think she sent us on a wild goose chase looking for their beach house. This idiom originally referred to a form of 16th-century horseracing requiring riders to follow a leader in a particular formation (presumably resembling a flock of geese in flight). Its figurative use dates from about 1600.

wild-goose chase

Origin of wild-goose chase

Words related to wild-goose chase

How to use wild-goose chase in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wild-goose chase

Other Idioms and Phrases with wild-goose chase