lost cause

英 [ˌlɒst ˈkɔːz]

美 [ˌlɔːst ˈkɔːz]

n. 业已失败的事情; 没有希望的事情

牛津词典

noun

业已失败的事情；没有希望的事情
something that has failed or that cannot succeed

柯林斯词典

N-COUNT 必败无疑的事；无望之人
If you refer to something or someone asa lost cause, you mean that people's attempts to change or influence them have no chance of succeeding.
1. They do not want to expend energy in what, to them, is a lost cause.
  他们不想把精力投到他们认为注定不会成功的事中去。

英英释义

noun

a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable

双语例句

If the marriage doesn't take, it's a lost cause because divorce is out of the question.
要是婚姻不如意，那就玩儿完了，因为离婚是不容许的。
The implementation of sentence of imprisonment is mandatory. Once this power is lost of control and supervision, it will cause terrible impact. Therefore, such powers must be strictly monitored to be correctly used.
监禁刑执行具有强制性的特点，但是这种权力一旦失去制约和监督就会产生可怕的后果，所以对这种权力必须依法进行严格监督，使之得到正确的行使和运用。
And I'm going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause.
我会留在这，为已经遗失的目标奋斗。
But does teamwork have to be a lost cause?
但是团队合作一定是徒劳无功的吗？
If the person is a lost cause, walk away.
如果对方是个心怀鬼胎的人，直接转身离开。
The results show that the soil erosion on slope not only bring about soil nutrients lost, but also cause the soil physical property damaged, soil infiltration capability weakened.
结果表明，土壤侵蚀造成表层耕作土壤的物理性能下降、养分流失和水分入渗能力降低。
One of the toughest decisions faced by hospital staff is how long to keep trying, and when to give up on a particular patient as a lost cause.
医务人员最难做出的决定之一就是要对患者抢救多长时间，以及应在什么时候承认失败，放弃抢救。
Some were wasting their energies on a lost cause though-six percent revealed they had secretly fancied the groom, with three per cent admitting they had even been romantically involved with the man of the hour before he met his bride.
一些人把精力浪费在注定失败的事情上&6%的受访者表示她们偷偷地觊觎过新郎，3%的人承认她们在新娘和新郎相识之前，和新郎曾有一段恋情。
But that's a lost cause, says d'Espagnat, who studied particle physics early in his career.
但这是一个败局已定。据说，伯纳德的基本粒子物理学是在他职业生涯的早期研究的。
Finding love where you labor is never a lost cause.
在你工作地方寻找爱不是注定要失败的。