beat one's head against a stone wall

A form of bang one's head against a brick wall — To waste effort on a futile project.

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Meanings

verbbeat one's head against a stone wall (third-person singular simple present beats one's head against a stone wall, present participle beating one's head against a stone wall, simple past beat one's head against a stone wall, past participle beaten one's head against a stone wall)

present singular third person beats one's head against a stone wall · participle present beating one's head against a stone wall · participle past beaten one's head against a stone wall

  1. alternativeAlternative form of bang one's head against a brick wall.
Cite this entry
APA

beat one's head against a stone wall. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20one's%20head%20against%20a%20stone%20wall

MLA

“beat one's head against a stone wall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20one's%20head%20against%20a%20stone%20wall. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beat one's head against a stone wall,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20one's%20head%20against%20a%20stone%20wall.

Source: beat one's head against a stone wall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.