to no avail

Idioms and Phrases

Also, of little or no avail . Of no use or advantage, ineffective, as in All his shouting was to no avail; no one could hear him , or The life jacket was of little or no avail . This idiom uses avail in the sense of “advantage” or “assistance,” a usage dating from the mid-1400s. Also see to little purpose .

Example Sentences

Livingstone used seven of his nine bowling options to no avail in his bid to rein in Carty and King as the duo built a 209-run partnership, which was only broken in the 41st over by Reece Topley with West Indies just 13 runs away from victory.

From BBC

Amanda said she has raised the issue on local social media channels to no avail, adding that the effect on her dog is horrible to see.

From BBC

He noted that when he was at CNN, he repeatedly pitched “more of a focus on solutions journalism,” to no avail.

From Slate

Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol had blocked off the intersection of Whittier and Atlantic boulevards in an effort to stymie cruising, but to no avail — cars merely did a U-turn on Hillview Avenue.

From Los Angeles Times

Stokes tinkered with the field, to no avail.

From BBC

Related Words

• fruitless
• hollow
• impractical
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• insufficient
• trivial
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain
• worthless