miss the forest for the trees

Alternative form of cannot see the forest for the trees.

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Meanings

verbmiss the forest for the trees (third-person singular simple present misses the forest for the trees, present participle missing the forest for the trees, simple past and past participle missed the forest for the trees)

present singular third person misses the forest for the trees · participle present missing the forest for the trees · participle past missed the forest for the trees · past missed the forest for the trees

  1. alternativeidiomaticAlternative form of cannot see the forest for the trees.
Cite this entry
APA

miss the forest for the trees. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/miss%20the%20forest%20for%20the%20trees

MLA

“miss the forest for the trees.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/miss%20the%20forest%20for%20the%20trees. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “miss the forest for the trees,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/miss%20the%20forest%20for%20the%20trees.

Source: miss the forest for the trees on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.