# miss the forest for the trees

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/miss-the-forest-for-the-trees
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Alternative form of cannot see the forest for the trees.

## Examples

- You focus too much on details and miss the forest for the trees.
- By worrying only about the color of the walls, you miss the forest for the trees regarding the house's structural problems.
- The manager became so obsessed with minor administrative errors that he missed the forest for the trees, failing to notice the company's declining market share.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.