What Does "Miss the Forest for the Trees" Mean?
"Miss the forest for the trees" is an English idiom. It means "to be too concerned with specific details to see or understand the bigger picture."Examples in Sentences
Here are three examples of the idiom "miss the forest for the trees" used in a sentence:- He's missing the forest for the trees by focusing on one poor quarterly report instead of the overall health of the company.
- By obsessing over tiny aspects of the event, she's missing the forest for the trees.
- You can't miss the forest for the trees when setting long-term goals.
What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words, if you were to translate "Miss the Forest for the Trees" word for word, there is no guarantee the translation would help you to understand the meaning.An idiom often includes a cultural or historical context that makes it difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. A phrase is classified as an idiom when a direct translation of the words does not reveal the meaning. Most idioms rely on shared knowledge or experiences known only to a specific community.
A Quick Test
You now know what "miss the forest for the trees" means, but are you good at English idioms? Let's see!
Gold
Silver
Bronze
- This test has questions.
- A correct answer is worth 5 points.
- You can get up to 5 bonus points for a speedy answer.
- Some questions demand more than one answer. You must get every part right.
- Beware! Wrong answers score 0 points.
- 🏆 If you beat one of the top 3 scores, you will be invited to apply for the Hall of Fame.
Scoring System
Guru (+)
Hero (+)
Captain (+)
Sergeant (+)
Recruit (+)
Guru (+)
Hero (+)
Captain (+)
Sergeant (+)
Recruit (+)
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
