"chase moonbeams" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "chases moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "chasing moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "chased moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "chased moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "chases moonbeams",
        "2": "chasing moonbeams",
        "3": "chased moonbeams"
      },
      "expansion": "chase moonbeams (third-person singular simple present chases moonbeams, present participle chasing moonbeams, simple past and past participle chased moonbeams)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2009, Harold Evans, My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times: An Autobiography",
          "text": "The Guardian's housing specialist was outraged by Tom's conviction that the city was chasing moonbeams in applying for compulsory purchase orders to build two little Manchesters in Mobberley and Lymm.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Raymond Arroyo Jr., Lead Us Not into Temptation",
          "text": "Then for many others it's become a chase around the block looking for miracles that are never there. Here, there and everywhere they search, chasing moonbeams and ending up disillusioned.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021, Richard Woodman, A King's Cutter, page 27",
          "text": "Oh, you can scoff, Mr White, but you siblings that thirst for glory chase moonbeams.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023, Charles Billingslea, The Addison Reunion Papers, page 216",
          "text": "Ah, Luna! you may hide your face; And, Doctor, you're a hopeless case, If you allow yourself to chase The silly moonbeams without discretion. Better go and attend to your profession.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To waste time in a fruitless attempt."
      ],
      "id": "en-chase_moonbeams-en-verb-65wc~jh0",
      "links": [
        [
          "waste time",
          "waste time"
        ],
        [
          "fruitless",
          "fruitless"
        ],
        [
          "attempt",
          "attempt"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "chase moonbeams"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "chases moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "chasing moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "chased moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "chased moonbeams",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "chases moonbeams",
        "2": "chasing moonbeams",
        "3": "chased moonbeams"
      },
      "expansion": "chase moonbeams (third-person singular simple present chases moonbeams, present participle chasing moonbeams, simple past and past participle chased moonbeams)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2009, Harold Evans, My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times: An Autobiography",
          "text": "The Guardian's housing specialist was outraged by Tom's conviction that the city was chasing moonbeams in applying for compulsory purchase orders to build two little Manchesters in Mobberley and Lymm.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Raymond Arroyo Jr., Lead Us Not into Temptation",
          "text": "Then for many others it's become a chase around the block looking for miracles that are never there. Here, there and everywhere they search, chasing moonbeams and ending up disillusioned.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021, Richard Woodman, A King's Cutter, page 27",
          "text": "Oh, you can scoff, Mr White, but you siblings that thirst for glory chase moonbeams.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023, Charles Billingslea, The Addison Reunion Papers, page 216",
          "text": "Ah, Luna! you may hide your face; And, Doctor, you're a hopeless case, If you allow yourself to chase The silly moonbeams without discretion. Better go and attend to your profession.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To waste time in a fruitless attempt."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "waste time",
          "waste time"
        ],
        [
          "fruitless",
          "fruitless"
        ],
        [
          "attempt",
          "attempt"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "chase moonbeams"
}