wild-goose chase
noun [C] /ˌwaɪldˈɡuːsˌtʃeɪs/ informalDefinition
› a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else: After two hours spent wandering in the snow, I realized we were on a wild goose chase.Searching
(Definition of wild-goose chase noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- a needle in a haystack idiom
- beachcomber noun
- bounty hunter noun
- burrow verb
- cast around/about phrasal verb
- dig verb (SEARCH)
- divine verb (SEARCH)
- leave no stone unturned idiom
- look sth out phrasal verb
- manhunt noun
- nose verb (SEARCH)
- once-over noun (LOOKING)
- poke around phrasal verb
- scout noun (SEARCH)
- scout verb
- seeker noun
- shake sb/somewhere down phrasal verb
- shakedown noun (SEARCH)
- strip search noun
- turn a place inside out idiom
Topic:
Searching
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