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Glite Dictionary
to hunt a white whale

to hunt a white whale

9.3
To try to reach a very difficult or impossible goal for a long time
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : perseguir una quimera
  • Writing the perfect novel sometimes felt like hunting a white whale.

Examples

  • She realized she was hunting a white whale in trying to change the company's culture.

  • After months of hunting a white whale, he finally completed his research project.

  • Don't hunt a white whale in your career!

  • I hunt a white whale!

  • He spent years hunting a white whale in his quest to find the lost city of Atlantis.

  • After several failed attempts, she knew she was hunting a white whale by trying to win his affection.

  • Many entrepreneurs feel like they are hunting a white whale when pursuing the next big startup idea.

Synonyms

to hunt
vsto hunt a white whale
322 1.0

To chase someone or something without stopping to catch them

is about pursuing a challenging goal with obsession and persistence
to quest for
vsto hunt a white whale
64 5.4

To search for something that is hard to find

focuses more on obsessive prolonged pursuit than on purposeful searching
to shoot for
vsto hunt a white whale
  • Informal
30 3.9

To try to reach a big, difficult goal

involves stronger obsession and persistence than merely aiming
to quest after
vsto hunt a white whale
8.0

To go looking for something difficult to find or get

is driven by obsession and relentless persistence rather than steady effort

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

to abandon
773 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

How Obsessive

to hunt a white whale
  • Informal
9.3
chase
232 1.0
to pursue
∞ 3.5
to aim for
79 2.8

Surface Forms

hunt a white whale infinitive
hunted a white whale past
hunted a white whale past participle
hunting a white whale present participle
hunts a white whale third person singular

Morphology

hunt + a + white + whale

This phrase is a literary allusion (Moby-Dick) whose idiomatic sense—pursuing an obsessive or elusive goal—is not directly derivable from the literal meanings of 'hunt', 'white' and 'whale'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would most likely interpret it literally (searching for a literal white whale) and would need cultural or contextual knowledge to access the idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

Hunt a white whale comes from Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick, where Captain Ahab becomes obsessed with catching a giant white whale that keeps escaping. So, to hunt a white whale today means 'to chase a very hard goal again and again, often in an obsessive way'.