tɪlt æt ˈwɪndmɪlz
General
formal
advanced
- Literally:
- Charge at windmills with a lance
What does "tilt at windmills" mean?
To fight against imaginary enemies or problems
Examples
- The activist was accused of tilting at windmills by protesting a repealed policy.
- Rather than tilting at windmills, we should focus on real issues.
- His crusade was dismissed as tilting at windmills.
Origin
From Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605).
How to use it
Used to describe futile or misguided efforts. The adjective 'quixotic' carries a similar meaning.
Similar expressions
fight imaginary foes
chase phantoms
Opposites
face reality
tackle real problems
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "tilt at windmills" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.