reinvent the wheel

idiom

informal

: to waste time trying to do something that has already been done successfully by someone else

Examples of reinvent the wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Keep in mind some of the precedents that have been set before and don’t try and reinvent the wheel or add something super funky or contemporary. —Amy Panos, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025

There is no need to reinvent the wheel or to craft a ‘perfect’ policy solution or, worse yet, cutting and pasting from other unrelated jurisdictions. —Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Samsung’s tablets have consistently scored well in our expert reviews for being reliable, simple, and not trying to reinvent the wheel. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 24 July 2025

However, designers didn’t fully reinvent the wheel, instead making small yet noticeable tweaks to freshen up the silhouette, such as leaning into of-the-moment hues (hello, butter yellow) and details like metal adornments. —Kelsey Stewart, refinery29.com, 8 July 2025

Rhymes for reinvent the wheel

• automobile
• periosteal
• peritoneal
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal