wild-goose chase

[ wahyld-goos ]

noun

1. a wild or absurd search for something nonexistent or unobtainable:

   a wild-goose chase looking for a building long demolished.

2. any senseless pursuit of an object or end; a hopeless enterprise:

   Her scheme of being a movie star is a wild-goose chase.

wild-goose chase

noun

1. an absurd or hopeless pursuit, as of something unattainable

Word History and Origins

Origin of wild-goose chase¹

First recorded in 1585–95

Idioms and Phrases

A futile search or pursuit, as in I think she sent us on a wild goose chase looking for their beach house . This idiom originally referred to a form of 16th-century horseracing requiring riders to follow a leader in a particular formation (presumably resembling a flock of geese in flight). Its figurative use dates from about 1600.

Example Sentences

He considered leading me off on some wild-goose chase.

From Literature

One of the cinematic highlights of the 2024 New York International Children’s Film Festival could be described, at least partly, as a wild-goose chase.

From New York Times

At least the Victorians were just sending their friends on a wild-goose chase to be funny, and not actively poisoning them.

From Seattle Times

At one point, he lodged hairs he found in a bus station restroom between the layers of electrical tape on a bomb’s wire connections, hoping to initiate a genetic wild-goose chase.

From Los Angeles Times

Capitol and twist it into a wild-goose chase driven by ludicrous allegations that the FBI was behind the whole thing.

From Seattle Times