what good
idiom
—used to say that one does not think that something is helpful, useful, or worth doing
What good is a college education when you can't get a job after you graduate?
What good does it do to bring an umbrella along if you are only going to leave it in the car?
I could try talking to him, but what good would that do/be? He has already made up his mind.
Examples of what good in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Democratic Party and its leaders need to stop the nonsense about age and a single debate and concentrate on emphasizing what good Biden has done for this country in three and a half years.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 July 2024
Our people have a horse sense for what good work is.
—Beth Greenfield, Fortune, 1 July 2024
That was an epiphany about what good writing might be, at least in my case.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 27 June 2024
But what good is that when the rest of the town is flooded?
—Margery A. Beck, TIME, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for what good 
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 July 2024
Our people have a horse sense for what good work is.
—Beth Greenfield, Fortune, 1 July 2024
That was an epiphany about what good writing might be, at least in my case.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 27 June 2024
But what good is that when the rest of the town is flooded?
—Margery A. Beck, TIME, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for what good
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'what good.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“What good.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/what%20good. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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