an expensive item with no use or purpose
burdensome possession
something which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost
Everyone thought the Olympic stadiums would be a white elephant after the closing ceremony.
He invested his savings in the business and it’s turned into a white elephant.
Soon, I realised that the old car was difficult to maintain and it was like a white elephant.
Britain’s most powerful supercomputer is simply a white elephant.
The Empire State Building was a remarkable achievement but it's a white elephant for its developers.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.