to no purpose
to little purpose

I have tried hard for you, but all to no purpose.

It would be a lot of work to no purpose.

And some of them simply slow things down to no purpose.

It would mean that his life had been to no purpose.

I have waited for one a great while to no purpose.

"You hope that perhaps we have been concerned to no purpose?"

Have we not been soft with him long enough, and to no purpose?

But the first would almost surely see her dead to no purpose at all.

Once more I struggled with all my might, but again to no purpose.

Was he only making a fool of himself to no purpose?

An effort was made to quiet him, but to no purpose.

They had been born to no purpose, she and her sister.

I expected every hour to hear something extraordinary, but to no purpose.

All they can do is spill their own blood to no purpose.

That one is ever eating - but not to no purpose.

There is a lot of racing around to no purpose.

I tried the children to no purpose: they were all dumb.

I have been worrying myself and other people all to no purpose.

"Shocked that even I might feel my life had been to no purpose?"

But it was all to no purpose, the box failed to come to light.

But I really could not see any sense in making myself foolish to no purpose.

I had never heard him talk so much at a stretch, and to no purpose as it seemed to me.

Sixteen players had worked hard for nearly three hours to no purpose whatever.

She put her two hands over one of his, white, blood flowing through it to no purpose.

"We would have wasted all our time to no purpose."