verb phrase🎓 English idiom
leave no stone unturned
to search or try everything possible
What it means
To make every possible effort and search everywhere in order to find something or achieve a goal. It stresses thoroughness and a refusal to overlook any option.
Words like “leave no stone unturned” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- Detectives left no stone unturned in their hunt for the missing witness.
- We will leave no stone unturned to find the best solution for you.
- She left no stone unturned while researching her family's long history.
- The rescue team left no stone unturned searching the mountainside for survivors.
Where it comes from
From an ancient Greek tale in which the oracle at Delphi advised a man searching for buried treasure to "turn every stone."
Related idioms
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