# miss the wood for the trees

idiom

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

## Meaning

Alternative form of cannot see the forest for the trees.

## Examples

- You miss the wood for the trees by focusing only on small details.
- He spent all day fixing minor typos in the report, missing the wood for the trees regarding the main argument.
- By obsessing over the specific wording of the contract, the lawyers missed the wood for the trees and ignored the obvious risks to their client.

---

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.