to lead nowhere

Examples

• All

• This road leads nowhere.

  The Humanity Bureau (2017)

• I knew that passivity in the field would lead nowhere.

  Academic text (1998)

• Providing a name for the position without funding the job leads nowhere.

  Academic text (2001)

• But more often than not, this start would lead nowhere.

  Fiction book (1996)

• Such a discussion leads nowhere, and I have better things to do.

  Blog text (29)

• Now he returned to the hatch, frustrated that several hours of work had led nowhere.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Certainly I'd expected it; but even when the month came to a close, his negotiations seemed to have led nowhere.

  Fiction book (1997)

• This war of words was leading nowhere, and Timur moved to the West yet again.

• Finally, we turned onto a stony road that seemed to lead nowhere, and my father stopped the car.

  Fiction book (2002)

• Once again, the discussion led nowhere, and again it was up to Bunche to come up with new ideas to break the stalemate.

  Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

G

to go nowhere

vsto lead nowhere

119 4.6

Fail to make progress or get any result

is the same meaning but focuses on the lack of useful outcome

C

to come to nothing

vsto lead nowhere

6 4.6

Fail to produce any result

shows missing useful progress rather than a dramatic final failure

G

to go nowhere fast

vsto lead nowhere

• Informal

3 5.5

Fail to make progress even when you try hard

describes lack of result without implying strong effort or speed

Antonyms

L

to lead to

∞ 2.5

To cause something to happen, often with bad results

A

to achieve

∞ 2.3

To reach a goal by effort or skill

How Effective

to get you anywhere

7 6.8

to lead nowhere

7 4.8

to do nothing

888 1.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology