reinvent the wheel
(redirected from invent the wheel)reinvent the wheel
To do something in a wholly and drastically new way, often unnecessarily. (Usually used in negative constructions.) The film doesn't reinvent the wheel for action films, but it adds enough clever twists on the genre to still feel fresh and new. The company is often criticized for trying to reinvent the wheel every time they bring a new product to market, adding gimmicks and innovations nobody wanted or asked for.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
reinvent the wheel
Fig. to make unnecessary or redundant preparations. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Read up on what others have done. I don't have to reinvent the wheel, but I will be cautious before I act.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
reinvent the wheel
Do something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort, as in School committees need not reinvent the wheel every time they try to improve the curriculum. This expression alludes to the invention of a simple but very important device that requires no improvement. [Second half of 1900s]
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.
reinvent the wheel
If someone reinvents the wheel, they develop an idea or project that they consider new or different, when it is really no better than something that already exists. To avoid reinventing the wheel, it is important that managers are familiar with established research findings in this area. The problem is that they tend to reinvent the wheel each time they are called upon to respond to a new refugee emergency.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
reinvent the wheel
waste a great deal of time or effort in creating something that already exists or doing something that has already been done.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
reinvent the ˈwheel
waste time creating something that already exists and works well: There’s no point in us reinventing the wheel. Why can’t we just leave things as they are?Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
reinvent the wheel
tv. to make unnecessary or redundant preparations. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Read up on what others have done.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
reinvent the wheel
To do or make something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort.
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.
reinvent the wheel, to
To belabor the obvious; to start again from the beginning when there is no need to. This Americanism dates from the second half of the twentieth century and most likely originated in business or industry. “‘The new compiler here is no different from the old one,’ said a Defense Department spokesman. ‘Let’s not reinvent the wheel’” (Boston Herald, 1984).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer