see the wood for the trees

A form of see the forest for the trees — To discern an overall pattern from a mass of detail; to see the big picture, or the broader, more general situation.

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Meanings

verbsee the wood for the trees (third-person singular simple present sees the wood for the trees, present participle seeing the wood for the trees, simple past saw the wood for the trees, past participle seen the wood for the trees)

present singular third person sees the wood for the trees · participle present seeing the wood for the trees · past saw the wood for the trees · participle past seen the wood for the trees

  1. alternativeidiomaticAlternative form of see the forest for the trees.
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: see the wood for the trees on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.