can't win

idiom

informal
used to say that success is not possible for someone in a particular situation
I feel like I can't win. Nothing I do seems to make any difference.
You can't win when you're dealing with someone so unreasonable.

Examples of can't win in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, suddenly can't win at home. Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024 And Mark Robinson is not going to win this race, can't win this race. ABC News, 22 Sep. 2024 That includes adherents of the far-right QAnon movement, which Trump frequently boosts, and other loyalists who promote the false notion that Democrats can't win elections without cheating. Zachary Basu, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024 Behind closed doors, however, two of the Senate's most endangered Democrats in the November, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), told their colleagues that Biden can't win November. Axios, 10 July 2024 Biden can't win without strong support from Black voters, experts say. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 17 June 2024 That could balloon to a deficit in the hundreds by Wednesday morning if Haley can't win a majority of the 15 states voting Tuesday, because of how delegates will be awarded. Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024 Some of the strongest GOP opponents argued that Ukraine can't win the war and that there should be a settlement with Russia, an argument Putin has made. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024 So he's endorsed somebody that can't win, has no chance of winning. Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2023

Dictionary Entries Near can't win

Cite this Entry

“Can't win.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/can%27t%20win. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!