we are where we are

phrase

acknowledging the shortcomings of the present situation, while focusing on dealing with it rather than either dwelling on the causes or regretting what might have been

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Meanings

phrase
  1. idiomaticacknowledging the shortcomings of the present situation, while focusing on dealing with it rather than either dwelling on the causes or regretting what might have been

    I do not want to look backwards, but I gently suggest that there are all sorts of reasons for delays. Still, we are where we are now, and what is important is moving ahead.

    2024 December 11, Baroness Merron, “Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 — Question”, in House of Lords debates, UK Parliament
    1 more example

    The legislation is much delayed and many of us were of the view that it would have been better had this been introduced in parallel with the offshore planning regime, but we are where we are and we will work with the timelines in front of us.

    2023 January 26, Eoin Ó Broin, “General Scheme of the Marine Protected Areas Bill 2023: Discussion”, in Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Dublin: Oireachtas
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see we, are, where, we, are.
Cite this entry
APA

we are where we are. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/we%20are%20where%20we%20are

MLA

“we are where we are.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/we%20are%20where%20we%20are. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “we are where we are,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/we%20are%20where%20we%20are.

Source: we are where we are on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.