50 Idioms for Useless with Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Useless
1. A drop in the ocean
Meaning: Too small to make a difference
In a Sentence: Giving one toy to a big group was a drop in the ocean. / Cleaning one room in a messy house is a drop in the ocean.
Other Ways to Say: Too little / Doesn’t help much
2. Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
Meaning: Doing something useless when there is a big problem
In a Sentence: Fixing the fence while the roof leaks is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. / Cleaning your desk while your homework is missing is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Other Ways to Say: Pointless effort / Fixing the wrong thing
3. Spinning your wheels
Meaning: Putting in effort without making progress
In a Sentence: I studied for hours but didn’t understand—just spinning my wheels.
Other Ways to Say: Wasting effort / Going nowhere
4. Beating a dead horse
Meaning: Continuing a useless effort
In a Sentence: Arguing with him now is just beating a dead horse.
Other Ways to Say: Pointless / No use continuing
5. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Making an effort in the wrong direction
In a Sentence: If you’re blaming her, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Other Ways to Say: Misguided / Wrong approach
6. Pouring water into a sieve
Meaning: Doing something that can’t be done
In a Sentence: Trying to teach him manners feels like pouring water into a sieve.
Other Ways to Say: Wasted effort / Futile
7. Chasing your tail
Meaning: Being busy but achieving nothing
In a Sentence: All day I was chasing my tail trying to solve that glitch.
Other Ways to Say: Busy but stuck / Unproductive
8. Like trying to catch smoke
Meaning: Impossible or useless to do
In a Sentence: Getting a straight answer from him is like trying to catch smoke.
Other Ways to Say: Futile / Hopeless
9. Pushing water uphill
Meaning: Struggling against something that won’t work
In a Sentence: Convincing them was like pushing water uphill.
Other Ways to Say: Impossible task / Waste of time
10. A wild goose chase
Meaning: A useless or pointless search
In a Sentence: Looking for that file without help was a wild goose chase.
Other Ways to Say: Futile search / Chasing nothing
11. Throwing good money after bad
Meaning: Investing more in something that’s already a loss
In a Sentence: Fixing that broken car again is throwing good money after bad.
Other Ways to Say: Waste of money / Useless investment
12. Talking to a brick wall
Meaning: Speaking with someone who doesn’t listen
In a Sentence: Trying to explain it to him was like talking to a brick wall.
Other Ways to Say: No response / Pointless conversation
13. Beating one’s head against the wall
Meaning: Making efforts with no results
In a Sentence: I felt like I was beating my head against the wall with that math problem.
Other Ways to Say: Frustrating / Not working
14. Going around in circles
Meaning: Making no real progress
In a Sentence: The team meeting just went around in circles.
Other Ways to Say: Repetitive / Stuck
15. Dead end
Meaning: A situation with no progress or success
In a Sentence: That idea led to a dead end quickly.
Other Ways to Say: No result / Failed path
16. A fool’s errand
Meaning: A task with no chance of success
In a Sentence: Trying to change his opinion was a fool’s errand.
Other Ways to Say: Hopeless / Wasteful mission
17. Throwing pearls before swine
Meaning: Giving something valuable to someone who won’t appreciate it
In a Sentence: Explaining science to him is like throwing pearls before swine.
Other Ways to Say: Wasted effort / Not appreciated
18. Can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
Meaning: Can’t turn something bad into something good
In a Sentence: That old car will never be fast—you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Other Ways to Say: You can’t fix junk / Bad stays bad
19. Like herding cats
Meaning: Impossible or chaotic to manage
In a Sentence: Getting the kids ready was like herding cats.
Other Ways to Say: Unmanageable / Chaotic
20. No use crying over spilled milk
Meaning: Worrying about what can’t be changed
In a Sentence: It’s done—no use crying over spilled milk.
Other Ways to Say: Let it go / Move on
21. Not worth the paper it’s written on
Meaning: Something written but useless
In a Sentence: That fake contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
Other Ways to Say: Meaningless / Useless document
22. Much ado about nothing
Meaning: A lot of fuss over something unimportant
In a Sentence: Their argument was much ado about nothing.
Other Ways to Say: Pointless drama / No real issue
23. One hand clapping
Meaning: A one-sided or pointless situation
In a Sentence: A team with no teamwork is like one hand clapping.
Other Ways to Say: Ineffective / Incomplete
24. Missing the boat
Meaning: Failing to act on time
In a Sentence: By not studying, he missed the boat on the test.
Other Ways to Say: Too late / Lost chance
25. Can’t see the forest for the trees
Meaning: Focusing on details and missing the big picture
In a Sentence: He’s so stuck on fonts, he can’t see the forest for the trees.
Other Ways to Say: Misfocused / Missing the point
26. Beating the air
Meaning: Fighting or working uselessly
In a Sentence: All that debate was just beating the air.
Other Ways to Say: Pointless effort / No impact
27. Tilting at windmills
Meaning: Fighting imaginary problems
In a Sentence: He’s tilting at windmills with those petty complaints.
Other Ways to Say: Fighting nothing / Imaginary problems
28. Carrying coals to Newcastle
Meaning: Bringing something unnecessary
In a Sentence: Bringing sugar to a bakery is like carrying coals to Newcastle.
Other Ways to Say: Unneeded / Redundant
29. Much cry and little wool
Meaning: A lot of talk but no result
In a Sentence: The meeting was much cry and little wool.
Other Ways to Say: All talk / No action
30. Like water off a duck’s back
Meaning: Something that has no effect
In a Sentence: My advice was like water off a duck’s back to him.
Other Ways to Say: Ignored / Unaffected
31. Chasing rainbows
Meaning: Pursuing unrealistic goals
In a Sentence: Trying to be famous overnight is just chasing rainbows.
Other Ways to Say: Daydreaming / Unrealistic
32. Shooting blanks
Meaning: Trying but failing to achieve anything
In a Sentence: All his strategies were just shooting blanks.
Other Ways to Say: Ineffective / No result
33. Running on empty
Meaning: Continuing with no energy or value
In a Sentence: His performance was just running on empty.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted / Ineffective
34. Going nowhere fast
Meaning: Not progressing
In a Sentence: That project is going nowhere fast.
Other Ways to Say: Stuck / Unproductive
35. Beating the drum
Meaning: Repeating something with no effect
In a Sentence: He keeps beating the drum about that failed plan.
Other Ways to Say: Repeating uselessly / No gain
36. Fishing in troubled waters
Meaning: Trying something under bad conditions
In a Sentence: Investing now is fishing in troubled waters.
Other Ways to Say: Risky / Futile
37. Treading water
Meaning: Making no progress
In a Sentence: We’re just treading water on this assignment.
Other Ways to Say: Stuck / Holding position
38. Hollow victory
Meaning: A win that doesn’t matter
In a Sentence: He won, but it was a hollow victory—no one cared.
Other Ways to Say: Empty win / No value
39. False start
Meaning: A beginning that leads nowhere
In a Sentence: The campaign had a false start with poor results.
Other Ways to Say: Misstep / Bad launch
40. Smoke and mirrors
Meaning: Deception without value
In a Sentence: Their pitch was just smoke and mirrors—no real plan.
Other Ways to Say: Illusion / Empty promise
41. All foam, no beer
Meaning: Looks good but lacks substance
In a Sentence: That idea is all foam, no beer.
Other Ways to Say: Flashy / Empty
42. All bark, no bite
Meaning: Makes noise but no real impact
In a Sentence: He threatens action but never does anything—all bark, no bite.
Other Ways to Say: All talk / No follow-through
43. Build castles in the air
Meaning: Make unrealistic plans
In a Sentence: His business idea is just building castles in the air.
Other Ways to Say: Daydreaming / Fantasy
44. Dead wood
Meaning: Useless parts or people
In a Sentence: The team cut the dead wood to become more efficient.
Other Ways to Say: Non-performers / Redundant
45. Paper tiger
Meaning: Looks strong but is weak
In a Sentence: The policy sounds tough, but it’s a paper tiger.
Other Ways to Say: Weak threat / Pretender
46. Hot air
Meaning: Empty talk
In a Sentence: His speech was full of hot air.
Other Ways to Say: No meaning / Fluff
47. A limp handshake
Meaning: Weak and ineffective
In a Sentence: The deal ended in a limp handshake—no commitment.
Other Ways to Say: Powerless / Unimpressive
48. Empty promise
Meaning: A commitment that won’t be kept
In a Sentence: He gave her an empty promise just to feel better.
Other Ways to Say: False hope / Not genuine
49. Cold comfort
Meaning: Comfort that doesn’t really help
In a Sentence: His kind words were cold comfort after the loss.
Other Ways to Say: Not helpful / Useless support
50. All sizzle, no steak
Meaning: Looks good but has no value
In a Sentence: The ad campaign was all sizzle, no steak.
Other Ways to Say: All flash / Lacking content
