ENGLISH
REFERENCE

chase rainbows

idiom
Meaning

To pursue unrealistic or fanciful goals.


Examples
SIMPLE

Stop chasing rainbows and find a steady job.

CONTEXTUAL

He spent years chasing rainbows in the music industry before finally deciding to go back to school.

COMPLEX

While his friends pursued practical careers, he spent his youth chasing rainbows, convinced that his grand, impractical inventions would one day change the world.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    chase a rainbow

    To pursue something illusory, impractical, or impossible.

  2. 02

    chase after

    To pursue someone with romantic intentions; to woo.

  3. 03

    chase away

    To get rid of.

  4. 04

    chase off

    To drive someone or something away.

  5. 05

    chase one's tail

    To busily try to perform many tasks or to repeatedly revise one's plans, especially with inefficient use of one's time and limited results.

  6. 06

    chase tail

    To be on the hunt for a (usually sexual) partner.

  7. 07

    chase the dragon

    To chase after the promise of a continually fulfilling high from an addictive substance.

  8. 08

    cut to the chase

    To get to the point; to get on with it; to state something directly.

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