mistook windmills for giants

A form of mistake windmills for giants — To perceive ordinary, nonthreatening objects or situations as significant dangers or adversaries, often due to an overly romantic, idealistic, or deluded worldview.

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Meanings

verb
  1. pastsimple past of mistake windmills for giants
Cite this entry
APA

mistook windmills for giants. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mistook%20windmills%20for%20giants

MLA

“mistook windmills for giants.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mistook%20windmills%20for%20giants. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mistook windmills for giants,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mistook%20windmills%20for%20giants.

Source: mistook windmills for giants on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.