# win the battle, but lose the war

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/win-the-battle-but-lose-the-war
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To achieve a portion of a goal, but fail to achieve the entire goal.

## Examples

- You won the battle, but lost the war.
- 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.

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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.