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Glite Dictionary
to fight a losing battle

to fight a losing battle

4 6.5
Try very hard to do something even though you will probably fail
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : luchar una batalla perdida
  • I often feel like I'm fighting a losing battle trying to get my children to do their homework.

And I just felt like I was fighting a losing battle.

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Examples

  • "I think he's fighting a losing battle," Varmus said.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Bernie is fighting a losing battle to keep himself from whining.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • We are fighting a losing battle here.

    Blade: Trinity (2004)

  • I was fighting a losing battle.

    Academic text (2000)

  • I often feel like I'm fighting a losing battle.

    The Gene Generation (2007)

  • I'm fighting a losing battle.

    Cry Macho (2021)

  • By this point, it had become clear to Gregory that he was fighting a losing battle.

    Academic text (2009)

  • However, I was fighting a losing battle with my thoughts and emotions.

    Blog text (5)

  • With so much emphasis on outer beauty, it feels like I am fighting a losing battle.

    Blog text (28)

  • You're fighting a losing battle down there.

    Green Fire (1954)

Synonyms

to struggle
vsto fight a losing battle
851 2.8

To try very hard to do or deal with something difficult

means trying hard but not specifically unlikely to succeed
to chase rainbows
vsto fight a losing battle
  • Informal
1 8.3

To try to achieve things that are very unlikely or impossible

is about trying hard even when success is unlikely rather than completely impossible
to flog a dead horse
vsto fight a losing battle
  • Informal
1 7.5

To waste effort on something that cannot succeed

is about trying hard despite low odds rather than pointless repetition
to bang one's head against a brick wall
vsto fight a losing battle
  • Informal
1 8.2

To try many times to do something without success and feel frustrated

describes effort when success is unlikely rather than only repeated frustration
to grasp a rope of sand
vsto fight a losing battle
  • Archaic
9.9

To try to do something that cannot be done

involves strong effort despite low chance rather than absolute impossibility

How Likely

to succeed
846 2.0
to persist
62 3.7
to try
∞ 1.0
to fight a losing battle
  • Informal
4 6.5

Surface Forms

fight a losing battle infinitive
fighting a losing battle present participle
fights a losing battle third person singular
fought a losing battle past
fought a losing battle past participle

Morphology

fight + a + lose + battle

The phrase literally combines 'fight' (to struggle) with 'losing' (not winning) and 'battle' (a struggle), so the sense 'to try hard when success is unlikely' is directly inferable from the constituents. This compositional logic is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'luchar una batalla perdida'), so a B1 learner who knows the words will most likely understand the meaning.

Etymology

Fight a losing battle gives the picture of a soldier who keeps fighting even though the battle is already lost or his side is too weak. So it means 'to try hard to do something when it is very unlikely you will succeed'.