wild goose chase

A form of wild-goose chase — A futile search, a fruitless errand; a useless and often lengthy task whose execution is inordinately complex relative to the value of the outcome.

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Meanings

nounwild goose chase (plural wild goose chases)

plural wild goose chases

  1. alternativeAlternative form of wild-goose chase.

    But if she's who you're looking for she still ain't here. She's nearly gone two months. Just a minute I'll look here and see if I can find a forwarding address. Nope. Don't see a forwarding address. Sorry you come on a wild goose chase.

    1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), pages 230, 231, 232, 233

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
snipe hunt
Cite this entry
APA

wild goose chase. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wild%20goose%20chase

MLA

“wild goose chase.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wild%20goose%20chase. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wild goose chase,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wild%20goose%20chase.

Source: wild goose chase on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.