miss the forest for the trees
idiom
US
: to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it
Examples of miss the forest for the trees in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But all that extraneous detail is unnecessary fluff that can cause you — and your buyers — to miss the forest for the trees.
—
Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Put in security, but don’t miss the forest for the trees.
—Bygeoff Colvin, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
So instead, scientists make educated guesses, and those guesses sometimes miss the forest for the trees.
—Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
There’s a tendency, in both the press and the general public, to miss the forest for the trees with Trump—understandable, again, given the sheer level of general clownery and scandal.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 15 Aug. 2023
Don't miss the forest for the trees! Sagittarius November 22-December 21
Friends may now need some grace.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2023
In trying to appear sustainable to social investors, many companies miss the forest for the trees.
—Derek Gallimore, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023
Brinkley set out to tell an optimistic history, but—to employ an ecological metaphor—this leads him to miss the forest for the trees.
—Scott W. Stern, The New Republic, 10 Jan. 2023
And reports focusing exclusively on supply chain issues without noting the overall economy is growing, strongly miss the forest for the trees.
—Frida Ghitis, CNN, 8 Nov. 2021
Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Put in security, but don’t miss the forest for the trees.
—Bygeoff Colvin, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
So instead, scientists make educated guesses, and those guesses sometimes miss the forest for the trees.
—Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
There’s a tendency, in both the press and the general public, to miss the forest for the trees with Trump—understandable, again, given the sheer level of general clownery and scandal.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 15 Aug. 2023
Don't miss the forest for the trees! Sagittarius November 22-December 21
Friends may now need some grace.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2023
In trying to appear sustainable to social investors, many companies miss the forest for the trees.
—Derek Gallimore, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023
Brinkley set out to tell an optimistic history, but—to employ an ecological metaphor—this leads him to miss the forest for the trees.
—Scott W. Stern, The New Republic, 10 Jan. 2023
And reports focusing exclusively on supply chain issues without noting the overall economy is growing, strongly miss the forest for the trees.
—Frida Ghitis, CNN, 8 Nov. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miss the forest for the trees.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near miss the forest for the trees
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“Miss the forest for the trees.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miss%20the%20forest%20for%20the%20trees. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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