🗓️ Idiom: Reinvent the Wheel (v)
💬 Meaning
- Create a new solution to a problem when another solution already exists.
- It means to do extra work when a good solution is already available.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Don’t reinvent the wheel, just use the existing report template.
- We’re reinventing the wheel by designing new software that does the same as what we already have.
- Instead of reinventing the wheel, the team adapted a proven strategy.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the invention of the wheel, which was a major innovation. To “reinvent” it means to waste time creating something that’s already been done well.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Let’s use last year’s design. There’s no need to __________.
Answer
reinvent the wheel
2. Choose the correct meaning of “reinvent the wheel”:
A) To create a brand-new invention
B) To fix something that is broken
C) To do unnecessary work when a solution already exists
D) To improve an old product
Answer
C) To do unnecessary work when a solution already exists
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“They created a new process even though one already worked well.” → Change the sentence using: reinvent the wheel
Answer
They reinvented the wheel by creating a new process that already existed.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
