# see the forest for the trees

Pronunciation: US say "see thuh for-ist fur thuh TREEZ" /si ðə ˌfɔɹɪst fɚ ðə ˈtɹiz/; UK/AUS say "see thuh fo-rist fuh thuh TREEZ" /siː ðə ˌfɒɹɪst fə ðə ˈtɹiːz/

## Idiom

1. To make out the overall pattern in a mass of detail and grasp the broader situation, used mostly in the negative.
   - Simple: To notice the big picture instead of only the small details, usually said of someone who can't.
   - _A good editor steps back from the sentences to help a writer see the forest for the trees._
   - _The committee spent months arguing over footnotes and never saw the forest for the trees._

## Origin

John Heywood documented the English use of the proverb in 1546.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/see-the-forest-for-the-trees (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).