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you can't win

  1. Also, you just can't win. Whatever one does is wrong or not enough, as in Every time I block one of the woodchuck's holes, I find another; you just can't win. [First half of 1900s] For a synonym, see damned if I do, damned if I don't.



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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.

If you can’t hit, you can’t win.

"You're expected to be a parent like you don't work, but work like you haven't got kids. You can't win."

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"You can't win a general election or be the largest party as a one-man band. Farage will have to find a way of sharing the limelight."

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When former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen declared at the start of the 1995-96 Premier League season "You can't win anything with kids", Alex Ferguson's young Manchester United stars went on to prove him wrong.

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"What that means is that in every constituency there would be an effective electoral threshold of 13, 14 or maybe 15%, so if you can't win that share of the vote or higher, you are not going to win any seats and that really squeezes these smaller parties," he said.

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You can't unscramble an eggyou can't win 'em all