lose the battle, but win the war

verb

To fail to achieve intermediate steps or goals, but ultimately fulfill the broader objective.

“She might have done better than me in school, but I ultimately landed the higher-paying job. I lost the battle, but won the war.”

Opposite
win the battle, but lose the war
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Meanings

verblose the battle, but win the war (third-person singular simple present loses the battle, but wins the war, present participle losing the battle, but winning the war, simple past and past participle lost the battle, but won the war)

present singular third person loses the battle, but wins the war · participle present losing the battle, but winning the war · participle past lost the battle, but won the war · past lost the battle, but won the war

  1. To fail to achieve intermediate steps or goals, but ultimately fulfill the broader objective.

    She might have done better than me in school, but I ultimately landed the higher-paying job. I lost the battle, but won the war.

    Antonyms: win the battle, but lose the war

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo fail to achieve intermediate steps or goals, but ultimately fulfill the broader objective.

Opposite
win the battle, but lose the war
Cite this entry
APA

lose the battle, but win the war. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lose%20the%20battle%2C%20but%20win%20the%20war

MLA

“lose the battle, but win the war.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lose%20the%20battle%2C%20but%20win%20the%20war. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lose the battle, but win the war,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lose%20the%20battle%2C%20but%20win%20the%20war.

Source: lose the battle, but win the war on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.