tilt at windmills

verb

To attack imaginary enemies.

Similar
charge at windmillsfight windmillschase a rainbow
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Meanings

verbtilt at windmills (third-person singular simple present tilts at windmills, present participle tilting at windmills, simple past and past participle tilted at windmills)

present singular third person tilts at windmills · participle present tilting at windmills · participle past tilted at windmills · past tilted at windmills

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo attack imaginary enemies.

    Synonyms: charge at windmills, fight windmills

  2. broadlyidiomaticintransitiveTo go on a wild-goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity.

    Synonyms: chase a rainbow

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo attack imaginary enemies.

Similar
charge at windmillsfight windmills

verbTo go on a wild-goose chase; to persistently engage in a futile activity.

Similar
chase a rainbow
Also see
chase a rainbowfight windmills

Origin

From a passage in the novel Don Quixote where the eponymous character tilts (i.e. jousts) at windmills that he has mistaken for giants.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan lluïtar contra molins de vent
  • lluïtar contra molins de ventattack imaginary enemies
Finnish taistella tuulimyllyjä vastaan
  • taistella tuulimyllyjä vastaanattack imaginary enemies
French se battre contre des moulins à vent
  • se battre contre des moulins à ventattack imaginary enemies
German gegen Windmühlen kämpfen
  • gegen Windmühlen kämpfenattack imaginary enemies
Hebrew נִלְחַם בְּטַחֲנוֹת רוּחַ
  • נִלְחַם בְּטַחֲנוֹת רוּחַ (nilchám b'tachanót rúach)attack imaginary enemies
Irish dul i ngleic le samhailtí
  • dul i ngleic le samhailtíattack imaginary enemies
Italian lottare contro i mulini a vento
  • lottare contro i mulini a ventoattack imaginary enemies
Norwegian Bokmål slåss mot vindmøller, kjempe mot vindmøller
  • slåss mot vindmøllerattack imaginary enemies
  • kjempe mot vindmøllerattack imaginary enemies
Polish walczyć z wiatrakami
  • walczyć z wiatrakamiattack imaginary enemies
Romanian se lupta cu morile de vânt
  • se lupta cu morile de vântattack imaginary enemies
Russian боро́ться с ветряны́ми ме́льницами, сража́ться с ветряны́ми ме́льницами
  • боро́ться с ветряны́ми ме́льницами (borótʹsja s vetrjanými mélʹnicami)attack imaginary enemies
  • сража́ться с ветряны́ми ме́льницами (sražátʹsja s vetrjanými mélʹnicami)attack imaginary enemies
Spanish luchar contra molinos de viento
  • luchar contra molinos de vientoattack imaginary enemies
Swedish slåss mot väderkvarnar
  • slåss mot väderkvarnarattack imaginary enemies
Welsh ymladd â melinau gwynt
  • ymladd â melinau gwyntattack imaginary enemies
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: tilt at windmills on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.