in vain
1. adjective Without success; futile. I tried to convince the other board members, but my efforts were in vain, and they outvoted me. Turns out all of my hard work on that budget report was in vain because the computer system crashed. The team's efforts to make the playoffs were in vain—they got eliminated on the last day of the season.
2. adverb Without success; futilely. I tried in vain to convince the other board members, and they outvoted me. A: "Car still isn't running?" B: "Nope. And I worked in vain on it for five hours." A: "I tried in vain to get tickets." B: "I bet, I heard they sold out immediately."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in vain
for no purpose; [done] as a failure. They rushed her to the hospital, but they did it in vain. We tried in vain to get her there on time.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in vain
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in ˈvain
without success: They tried in vain to persuade her to go. ♢ All our efforts were in vain.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in vain
1. To no avail; without success: Our labor was in vain.
2. In an irreverent or disrespectful manner: took the Lord's name in vain.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.