fight a losing battle
To continue to wage war when it is clear that one is not going to winTo continue to wage war when it is clear that one is not going to win.
Meaning
2 senses(literally)To continue to wage war when it is clear that one is not going to win.
(figuratively, idiomatic)To attempt a task or other endeavor in which there is no chance that it will succeed.
Examples
40 sentencesWe fought a hard battle.
ruМы яростно сражались. — fjay69
I can fight my own battles.
We're fighting a losing battle.
deWir stehen auf verlorenem Posten. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
We fought a good battle.
I can fight my battles myself.
Forms
fights a losing battle, fighting a losing battle, fought a losing battle, fought a losing battle| Base form | fight a losing battle · to fight a losing battle |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | fights a losing battle |
| Present participle | fighting a losing battle |
| Past simple | fought a losing battle |
| Past participle | fought a losing battle |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | fight a losing battle |
| he, she, it | fights a losing battle |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | fought a losing battle |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have fought a losing battle |
| he, she, it | has fought a losing battle |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will fight a losing battle |
Synonyms
1 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.