The From Pillar to Post: Meaning, Origin, Examples, and Usage article traces the earlier form of the expression, from post to pillar, to the 15th century dream poem The Assembly of Gods, a work ascribed to John Lydgate.
This phrase provides evidence of its medieval origin, while etymologists still debate its etymology and historical origin. Some connect the posts and pillars with a Real Tennis court, but the theory has little support beyond plausibility, making it uncertain.
Another explanation views the expressions as a colourful variant of from here to there, without a specific story attached to its origin. In this sense, the colourful language simply describes movement from one place or location to another. This interpretation fits naturally with the phrase’s continued usage.
In everyday life, the correct phrase is from pillar to post, not pillow to post. Regional pronunciation may make words sound differently, as an old Newfoundlander might say them. The idiom describes a wild journey, moving around, going back and forth, with little progress or useful result.
It often describes work projects, personal tasks, or conversations where someone moves between many different places without a clear purpose, causing frustration instead of solving a problem.
Quick Answer:
From pillar to post means that someone moves or sends you from one place, person, or situation to another, usually without giving you a satisfactory result.
The phrase often suggests frustration, inconvenience, confusion, or unwanted movement. Although it can describe physical movement, modern usage often refers to people passing someone between departments, officials, organizations, or difficult situations without resolving the problem.
For example:
The customer service team sent the customer from pillar to post before finally resolving the issue.
In this sentence, the customer isn’t simply traveling between offices. The important point is that nobody takes responsibility for solving the problem.
In simple terms:
From pillar to post = repeatedly moved around, usually with little progress or purpose.
What Does “From Pillar to Post” Mean?
At its heart, from pillar to post describes movement that feels excessive or unnecessary. Someone may go from one office to another, from one official to another, or from one difficult situation to the next.
The phrase usually carries a negative tone. You wouldn’t normally use it to describe an enjoyable vacation where you happily visit several cities. The expression works better when the movement feels forced, chaotic, tiring, or fruitless.
Merriam-Webster defines the idiom as moving “from one place or one predicament to another.” That second part matters because the expression doesn’t always involve literal locations.
Consider these examples:
- “The tenant was sent from pillar to post trying to get the repair approved.”
- “After losing his job, he went from pillar to post looking for stable work.”
- “The complaint moved from pillar to post without anyone taking responsibility.”
- “We were passed from pillar to post by customer service.”
Each sentence involves movement. Yet the deeper idea is lack of resolution.
What Does the Idiom Suggest?
The expression often suggests three things at once:
| Element | What it means |
| Movement | Someone moves between places, people, or situations |
| Repetition | The movement happens more than once |
| Frustration | The movement doesn’t produce a useful result |
That combination separates the idiom from simple expressions such as from one place to another.
If you say, “She traveled from Boston to Chicago,” the sentence simply reports movement. If you say, “She was sent from pillar to post,” the listener expects a story involving inconvenience or unnecessary redirection.
From Pillar to Post in American English
From pillar to post works naturally in American English and appears in major American dictionaries. Dictionary.com also defines it as movement from one place or thing to another in rapid succession.
In everyday American usage, you’ll often find the phrase in situations involving:
- Customer service
- Government agencies
- Workplace problems
- Insurance claims
- Housing issues
- Legal or administrative matters
- Travel disruptions
- Technical support
- Medical or institutional bureaucracy
For example, someone might say:
“I spent three hours getting transferred from pillar to post.”
The sentence immediately communicates more than repeated transfers. It hints that the process was exhausting and poorly organized.
The idiom can also describe changing circumstances:
“After the company closed, the family was moved from pillar to post.”
Here, the phrase describes instability rather than a series of phone calls.
From Pillar to Post: Origin and History
The history of from pillar to post gets more interesting when you look at its earlier form.
The Earlier Form “From Post to Pillar”
The modern expression wasn’t always arranged as from pillar to post. Historical evidence points to an older form: from post to pillar.
An early example appears in The Assembly of Gods, a late-fifteenth-century dream-vision allegory. The wording describes someone being sent “fro poost to pylour.”
That evidence is important because it shows that the expression is several centuries old. The modern version didn’t suddenly appear in recent English.
The basic concept was already associated with being moved from one point to another.
How Did “From Post to Pillar” Become “From Pillar to Post”?
The exact reason for the word-order change isn’t certain. One historical explanation suggests that rhyme and sound may have helped popularize pillar to post, particularly because post worked neatly with words related to being tossed or moved.
The modern form is attested by the sixteenth century. Phrase Finder notes an appearance in Vox Populi around 1550, while also emphasizing that the exact origin remains uncertain.
This is a good example of why etymology requires caution. A plausible explanation isn’t automatically a proven explanation.
Did the Expression Come From Tennis?
One popular theory connects from pillar to post with real tennis, an older form of tennis played on courts with architectural features such as posts and pillars.
Some etymological sources suggest that the expression may have developed from the movement of a ball around such a court.
However, the evidence doesn’t establish this theory with certainty. Phrase Finder specifically notes that there is little direct evidence supporting the tennis explanation beyond its plausibility.
So, it’s better to say:
The tennis theory is possible, but it isn’t a proven origin.
Did It Come From Medieval Punishment?
Another theory connects the phrase with medieval punishment. According to this explanation, post referred to a whipping post while pillar referred to the pillory.
A person could theoretically be moved from one form of punishment to another. The older form, from post to pillar, seems to fit this theory particularly well.
Again, caution matters. The theory is interesting, but historical sources don’t establish it as the definitive origin.
What We Know With Confidence
Several facts are much firmer than the competing origin stories:
- From post to pillar is older than the modern form.
- The expression dates back at least to the fifteenth century.
- From pillar to post became established by the sixteenth century.
- The phrase describes movement from one place or situation to another.
- The movement usually carries a sense of inconvenience, aimlessness, or frustration.
- The exact origin remains uncertain.
How to Use “From Pillar to Post” in a Sentence
The easiest way to use this idiom correctly is to connect it with repeated movement.
When Someone Is Sent From One Department to Another
This is one of the clearest modern uses.
“The bank sent me from pillar to post before approving the request.”
The speaker isn’t complaining about walking around the building. The complaint concerns being repeatedly redirected.
When Someone Keeps Moving Between Places
The phrase can also describe literal movement.
“The children were moved from pillar to post after their parents separated.”
Here, the movement involves changing homes or living arrangements.
When Someone Moves Between Difficult Situations
The idiom can describe changing circumstances rather than physical locations.
“After leaving one unstable job, he went from pillar to post trying to find another.”
The person keeps moving between situations without finding stability.
When Someone Is Moved Against Their Will
This context often makes the idiom especially effective.
Common verbs include:
- sent from pillar to post
- passed from pillar to post
- pushed from pillar to post
- driven from pillar to post
- moved from pillar to post
- shuffled from pillar to post
The passive-looking constructions work particularly well because they emphasize that someone else controls the movement.
“Passed From Pillar to Post”: What Does It Mean?
Passed from pillar to post means repeatedly transferred between people, offices, departments, or authorities.
It’s especially common when nobody seems willing or able to take responsibility.
For example:
“I was passed from pillar to post when I called about my billing problem.”
The sentence suggests several transfers and no immediate solution.
Cambridge’s corpus examples include people being sent, driven, pushed, and moved from pillar to post. This variety shows how flexible the expression is.
A Simple Customer-Service Case Study
Imagine that a customer receives an incorrect bill.
- The customer calls billing.
- Billing sends the customer to technical support.
- Technical support sends the customer to accounts.
- Accounts sends the customer back to billing.
- Nobody fixes the bill.
The customer has been passed from pillar to post.
The problem isn’t simply movement. The problem is movement without resolution.
From Pillar to Post vs. Back and Forth
These expressions overlap, but they aren’t interchangeable.
| Expression | Main idea | Frustration implied? |
| From pillar to post | Being moved between places or situations | Usually yes |
| Back and forth | Repeated movement between points | Not necessarily |
| Here and there | Movement or scattered locations | Usually no |
| Around in circles | Repeated effort without progress | Usually yes |
Compare these sentences:
“We went back and forth between the two offices.”
This simply describes repeated movement.
“We were sent from pillar to post by the two offices.”
Now the sentence suggests frustration and poor coordination.
That’s the key distinction.
From Pillar to Post vs. Going Around in Circles
Going around in circles focuses on repeated effort that produces no progress.
From pillar to post focuses on being moved between people, places, or situations.
They can overlap in the same situation.
For example:
“The application process sent me from pillar to post.”
This emphasizes the repeated transfers.
“The application process had me going around in circles.”
This emphasizes the lack of progress.
You can even use both expressions when the context supports them:
“We were sent from pillar to post and seemed to be going around in circles.”
That sentence strongly conveys bureaucratic frustration.
Synonyms
There isn’t one perfect synonym for every situation. Choose the replacement according to the meaning you want to emphasize.
1. Synonyms for Repeated Movement
- Back and forth
- From place to place
- Here and there
- To and fro
2. Synonyms for Frustrating Redirection
- Passed around
- Shuffled around
- Bounced around
- Sent from one person to another
3. Synonyms for Lack of Progress
- Going around in circles
- Getting nowhere
- Spinning your wheels
- Making no headway
For example, bounced around sounds especially natural in casual American speech:
“I got bounced around between three departments.”
Meanwhile, from pillar to post gives the sentence a more vivid idiomatic flavor.
Common Mistakes
Saying “From Pillow to Post”
From pillow to post isn’t the standard idiom.
The correct expression is:
from pillar to post
A pillar is a vertical structure or column. In the idiom, it forms part of a fixed historical expression.
Changing the Preposition
The established form is:
from pillar to post
Don’t replace from with another preposition when you’re using the idiom conventionally.
Using It for Happy Travel
Someone who happily visits five cities isn’t necessarily going from pillar to post.
The expression usually carries a sense of forced, inconvenient, aimless, or unproductive movement.
Compare:
“We traveled from city to city during our vacation.”
Neutral.
“We were sent from pillar to post after our flight was canceled.”
Frustrating.
Using It for One Simple Move
The phrase usually implies repeated movement.
If someone moves once from one office to another, from pillar to post may sound exaggerated. The context should suggest a series of movements or changing circumstances.
Is “From Pillar to Post” Always Negative?
Not absolutely, but negative or unfavorable usage is strongly typical.
The expression usually appears when movement becomes a burden. Someone gets redirected, displaced, shuffled around, or forced to deal with one difficulty after another.
That’s why the phrase works so naturally with verbs such as pushed, passed, sent, and driven.
A useful rule is:
If the movement feels like a problem rather than a choice, “from pillar to post” probably fits.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns for “From Pillar to Post”
The phrase behaves as a fixed idiomatic expression.
Here are several useful patterns:
Go From Pillar to Post
“He went from pillar to post looking for an answer.”
Be Sent From Pillar to Post
“The applicant was sent from pillar to post.”
Be Passed From Pillar to Post
“I was passed from pillar to post by customer support.”
Be Pushed From Pillar to Post
“The residents were pushed from pillar to post.”
Be Driven From Pillar to Post
“The dispute drove the family from pillar to post.”
These structures let you adjust the tone without changing the core idiom.
Real-World Situations Where “From Pillar to Post” Fits
The expression remains useful because modern life creates plenty of situations involving unnecessary redirection.
Customer Service
A customer service team repeatedly transfers a customer without connecting them with someone who can help.
Government Services
An applicant visits several offices because each department sends them somewhere else.
Housing
A person moves repeatedly between temporary homes or accommodations.
Employment
An employee gets shifted between teams without receiving clear instructions.
Travel
A passenger gets redirected between counters, terminals, or service desks after a disruption.
Administrative Problems
A complaint moves between officials without anyone accepting responsibility.
In all these cases, the phrase adds something that a literal description may miss: the emotional experience of being shuffled around.
Is “From Pillar to Post” Formal or Informal?
The idiom works across several registers.
You can use it in:
- Everyday conversation
- Feature writing
- Journalism
- Opinion pieces
- Workplace communication
- Formal commentary
- Narrative writing
However, a highly technical document may benefit from more precise language.
For example:
Idiomatic:
“The applicant was sent from pillar to post.”
More literal:
“The applicant was repeatedly transferred between departments.”
The first sounds more vivid. The second sounds more procedural.
Neither is inherently better. The right choice depends on your audience and purpose.
Can You Use “From Pillar to Post” in Professional Writing?
Yes. The expression can work well in professional writing when you want to highlight poor coordination, unnecessary transfers, or bureaucratic frustration.
For example:
“Customers shouldn’t have to go from pillar to post to resolve a straightforward billing issue.”
That sentence sounds professional while still carrying emotional force.
For a formal report, you might choose:
“Customers were repeatedly transferred between departments before receiving assistance.”
The second version removes the idiom and states the process directly.
Read More: Why I Can or Why Can I? Which Is Correct?
FAQs
What does “from pillar to post” mean?
“From pillar to post” means being moved or sent from one place or person to another without getting a useful result. It often describes a frustrating situation where you keep going back and forth but don’t make real progress.
For example, if a customer contacts several departments to solve one problem and nobody helps, they may feel they’ve been sent from pillar to post.
Is “from pillar to post” the correct phrase?
Yes, from pillar to post is the standard form of the idiom. The word pillar is correct, while “pillow” is a common mishearing or pronunciation-based mistake.
The phrase has been used in English for centuries, so it’s well established in both everyday speech and writing.
What is the origin of “from pillar to post”?
An earlier form was from post to pillar, which appeared in the 15th century in The Assembly of Gods, a poem traditionally associated with John Lydgate.
Its exact origin remains uncertain. Some theories connect the words with physical posts and pillars, while another view sees the phrase as a colorful way of expressing movement from one place to another.
Does “from pillar to post” always describe physical movement?
No. The idiom can describe physical movement, but you can also use it for situations involving communication, responsibility, or repeated attempts to solve a problem.
For instance, you might say, “I’ve been passed from pillar to post by customer service.” The person may not physically travel anywhere; they’re simply being transferred between people or departments.
Can I use “from pillar to post” in formal writing?
You can, although the phrase has a conversational and idiomatic feel. It works well when you want to describe frustration, repeated transfers, or a lack of progress in a clear and memorable way.
In highly technical or formal writing, a more direct phrase such as “transferred between departments without resolution” may sound more precise.
What is an example of “from pillar to post” at work?
Imagine an employee who needs approval for an important project. Their manager sends them to the finance department, finance sends them to administration, and administration sends them back to the manager.
The employee has effectively been sent from pillar to post. They’ve spent considerable time moving between people without actually getting the approval they need.
Is “from pillow to post” correct?
No. From pillow to post isn’t the standard idiom. The established expression is from pillar to post.
People may sometimes hear or pronounce “pillar” in a way that makes it sound like “pillow,” especially because accents and regional pronunciation vary. However, when writing the expression, always use pillar.
Can “from pillar to post” describe a frustrating experience?
Yes. Frustration is one of the strongest ideas associated with the idiom. It suggests that someone keeps being redirected without receiving a clear answer or achieving the desired result.
For example, someone trying to get a phone repaired might visit several stores, contact different departments, and explain the same issue repeatedly. They could reasonably say they’ve been sent from pillar to post.
Is “from pillar to post” the same as “from here to there”?
The two expressions can have a similar basic idea because both can describe movement between places. However, from pillar to post usually carries an additional sense of unnecessary movement, confusion, or lack of progress.
“From here to there” is generally neutral. “From pillar to post” often suggests that the movement is inconvenient, frustrating, or pointless.
How can I remember the correct wording?
A simple way to remember it is to picture two fixed structures: a pillar and a post. The person keeps moving between them without reaching a solution. That mental image can help you avoid replacing “pillar” with “pillow.”
When you use the idiom, remember its central idea: being moved from one place or person to another without achieving the result you want. That meaning makes the correct wording easier to recall.
Conclusion
From pillar to post is a vivid English idiom for situations in which someone keeps moving between people, places, or departments without making meaningful progress. Its earlier form, from post to pillar, dates back to the 15th century, while its exact origin remains uncertain. Although theories have connected the expression with physical posts and pillars, there isn’t enough evidence to establish one definite story behind it. What remains clear is how effectively the phrase captures frustration, repeated movement, and a lack of useful results.
Whether you encounter the expression in everyday conversation, workplace communication, or formal discussions, its meaning becomes easy to understand once you recognize the pattern it describes. When people repeatedly redirect you, send you elsewhere, or pass you from one person to another without solving your problem, they’re sending you from pillar to post. And while regional pronunciation may sometimes make pillar sound like pillow, the standard written form is always from pillar to post.
Shamsa Kanwal is an English specialist and content writer at ClearPhrasing.com, where she helps readers navigate the English language with confidence. She enjoys breaking down grammar rules, spelling differences, vocabulary, and everyday writing challenges into simple, practical lessons that anyone can understand.
Her writing is focused on making learning approachable rather than overwhelming. Whether she’s explaining commonly confused words, punctuation rules, or grammar concepts, Shamsa believes that clear explanations and real-life examples are the key to effective learning.
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