Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
to put the cart before the horse
idiom
/tə pʊt ðə kɑrt bɪˈfɔr ðə hɔrs/
Definition
To do things in the wrong order or to confuse the cause and effect of a situation.
Examples
- She started planning the wedding before even getting engaged; it’s like putting the cart before the horse.
- By investing in marketing before building a product, they really put the cart before the horse.
Meaning
This idiom suggests that someone is approaching a situation in an illogical way, usually by prioritizing the less important tasks before the more important ones.
Synonyms
- get ahead of oneself
- misplace priorities
- reverse order
- get things backward
