What does ‘chase rainbows’ mean?
To “chase rainbows” means to pursue fanciful, unreachable goals. A modern idiom; the image is of the endlessly receding rainbow's end. Brewer's 1898 does not record it in this form.
Origin
- A modern idiom; the image is of the endlessly receding rainbow's end. Brewer's 1898 does not record it in this form.
How to use it
- A gentle discouragement.
- Example: Don't chase rainbows — stick with a realistic plan.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.