Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
reinvent the wheel
idiom
/ˌriːɪnˈvɛnt ðə wɪl/
Definition
To waste time and effort creating something that has already been invented or developed.
Examples
- We don’t need to reinvent the wheel; let’s use the successful strategy from last year.
- Incorporating existing research can save us time instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
- She realized that trying to create a new process was just reinventing the wheel.
Meaning
The phrase suggests that instead of coming up with a new solution or product, one is unnecessarily duplicating existing work.
Synonyms
- Duplicate efforts
- Rehash
- Redo
- Recreate
