can't win
idiom
informal
—used to say that success is not possible for someone in a particular situation
I feel like I can't win. Nothing I do seems to make any difference.
You can't win when you're dealing with someone so unreasonable.
Examples of can't win in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And Mark Robinson is not going to win this race, can't win this race.
—
ABC News, 22 Sep. 2024
That includes adherents of the far-right QAnon movement, which Trump frequently boosts, and other loyalists who promote the false notion that Democrats can't win elections without cheating.
—Zachary Basu, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024
Behind closed doors, however, two of the Senate's most endangered Democrats in the November, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), told their colleagues that Biden can't win November.
—Axios, 10 July 2024
Biden can't win without strong support from Black voters, experts say.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 17 June 2024
That could balloon to a deficit in the hundreds by Wednesday morning if Haley can't win a majority of the 15 states voting Tuesday, because of how delegates will be awarded.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024
Some of the strongest GOP opponents argued that Ukraine can't win the war and that there should be a settlement with Russia, an argument Putin has made.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024
So he's endorsed somebody that can't win, has no chance of winning.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2023
Now, there are almost a dozen candidates in the field, and while money can't win a presidential primary, a lack of it can certainly end a campaign.
—Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 10 July 2023
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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ABC News, 22 Sep. 2024
That includes adherents of the far-right QAnon movement, which Trump frequently boosts, and other loyalists who promote the false notion that Democrats can't win elections without cheating.
—Zachary Basu, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024
Behind closed doors, however, two of the Senate's most endangered Democrats in the November, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), told their colleagues that Biden can't win November.
—Axios, 10 July 2024
Biden can't win without strong support from Black voters, experts say.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 17 June 2024
That could balloon to a deficit in the hundreds by Wednesday morning if Haley can't win a majority of the 15 states voting Tuesday, because of how delegates will be awarded.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024
Some of the strongest GOP opponents argued that Ukraine can't win the war and that there should be a settlement with Russia, an argument Putin has made.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024
So he's endorsed somebody that can't win, has no chance of winning.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2023
Now, there are almost a dozen candidates in the field, and while money can't win a presidential primary, a lack of it can certainly end a campaign.
—Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 10 July 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Can't win.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/can%27t%20win. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.
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