You won the battle, but lost the war.
win the battle, but lose the war
idiomTo achieve a portion of a goal, but fail to achieve the entire goal.
He won the battle by getting a small raise, but lost the war when the company fired his entire department.
By focusing solely on short-term profits, the manager won the battle for quarterly growth but lost the war for long-term market stability.
- 01
be someone's to lose
To be anticipated to be won by someone.
- 02
fight a losing battle
To attempt a task or other endeavor in which there is no chance that it will succeed.
- 03
lose face
To lose the respect of others; to be humiliated or experience public disgrace.
- 04
lose ground
To suffer loss or disadvantage; to experience a setback.
- 05
lose it
To lose control of a situation.
- 06
lose one's battle
To succumb to a serious illness.
- 07
lose one's bottle
To lose courage and determination.
- 08
lose one's cool
To become upset or disconcerted; to lose one's temper.