Idiom Breakdown

put the cart before the horse

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Definition

To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities; to put something inconsequential as more important than something more essential.

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"The hour had struck; and with it, as always, appeared the man. So it has ever been in the history of the world; though we, with characteristic vanity, uniformly put the cart before the horse, and declare that it is the man that brings the hour."
"To attempt to remove the armaments before removing these substantive conflicts of interest is to put the cart before the horse."
"Saying, as some people do, "If I could get these other problems straightened out, then the drinking would take care of itself" is putting the cart before the horse. You can't deal with emotions like love and hate and rage when you're numbing yourself with chemicals."
"Mr. Schumer said that the idea of agreeing to a date for a vote before the committee had held hearings was "to put the cart before horse.""

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