little strokes fell great oaks
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Small, repeated efforts can achieve significant results.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Nỗ lực nhỏ, lặp đi lặp lại có thể đạt được kết quả đáng kể
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: repeated axe strokes can fell a large tree
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “little strokes fell great oaks” mean?
Small, repeated efforts can achieve significant results. Literally: repeated axe strokes can fell a large tree
Is “little strokes fell great oaks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.