What Does "Win the Battle, but Lose the War" Mean?
"Win the battle, but lose the war" is an English idiom. It means "to achieve a short-term victory or success, but at the cost of a larger, long-term defeat or loss."Examples in Sentences
Here are three examples of the idiom "win the battle, but lose the war" used in a sentence:- The company won the battle by cutting costs, but they lost the war as their customers switched to competitors.
- He won the battle by arguing his point, but he lost the war when he alienated his colleagues.
- Politicians often focus on short-term wins, only to lose the war of public trust over time.
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 "Win the Battle, but Lose the War" 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.
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