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can't see the wood for the trees

can't see the wood for the tree
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [kant, kahnt see stressed th ee woo d fawr stressed th ee tree]
    • /kænt, kɑnt si stressed ði wʊd fɔr stressed ði tri/
    • /kɑːnt ˈsiː ðə wʊd fɔː(r) ðə triː/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [kant, kahnt see stressed th ee woo d fawr stressed th ee tree]
    • /kænt, kɑnt si stressed ði wʊd fɔr stressed ði tri/

Definition of can't see the wood for the trees words

  • phrase can't see the wood for the trees If someone can't see the wood for the trees in British English, or can't see the forest for the trees in American English, they are very involved in the details of something and so they do not notice what is important about the thing as a whole. 3
Just one definition for can't see the wood for the trees

Information block about the term

Parts of speech for Can't see the wood for the trees

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Can't see the wood for the trees

can't see the wood for the trees popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

See also

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