white elephant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lord Forsyth described the project as "a complete white elephant and a disaster" and Leader of the House Baroness Smith of Basildon called the situation "unacceptable".

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

Costing £250m, it was substantially cheaper than Supertram but critics said it lacked ambition, while others branded it a costly white elephant, noting that nowhere else in the UK had built a new trolleybus line.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2025

The IOC is sensitive about spiraling costs and potential white elephant projects, so encourages local organizers to use venues in other countries.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 18, 2024

But the aging ship has in recent years become more of a white elephant in need of millions of dollars in repairs just to stay afloat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2024

On the page, red diamond-covered trailers passed by first, and each one advertised its contents: roaring lions and tigers, charging rhinos and furious hippos, and a majestic white elephant at the very end.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton