wild-goose chase
noun
variants
or wild goose chase
: a complicated or lengthy and usually fruitless pursuit or search
These errors had two fatal consequences. The most obvious was that a number of engines and dozens of firefighters were sent on a wild-goose chase and did not get to the fire for many minutes.—
Jim Murphy
Jim MurphyExamples of wild-goose chase in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Maya sets off on a multi-continental pursuit of her father, or maybe a wild-goose chase.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The United States is weeks away from defaulting on its debt, but the GOP is apparently more concerned with wild-goose chases.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
The reported murder of a man in el Cajon valley yesterday, which sent Deputy sheriff Ward on a wild-goose chase, proved to be an hallucination of Charles Willard, the informant.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2021
The idea is to avoid sending patients on a wild-goose chase, since many pharmacies received only 20 Paxlovid treatment courses.
—New York Times, 6 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for wild-goose chase
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The United States is weeks away from defaulting on its debt, but the GOP is apparently more concerned with wild-goose chases.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
The reported murder of a man in el Cajon valley yesterday, which sent Deputy sheriff Ward on a wild-goose chase, proved to be an hallucination of Charles Willard, the informant.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2021
The idea is to avoid sending patients on a wild-goose chase, since many pharmacies received only 20 Paxlovid treatment courses.
—New York Times, 6 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for wild-goose chase
Cite this Entry
“Wild-goose chase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild-goose%20chase. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share