through the motions
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sri Lanka came up just short of pulling off the second-highest chase in World Cup history after some late big hitting from captain Dasun Shanaka as Pakistan's players went through the motions.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
Mr. Bennett, age 91, and Mr. Hytner, 69, seem to be going through the motions with this effort, which feels like a forgettable Sunday-night PBS presentation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
He was calling Speaker Mike Johnson, who was going through the motions of saying hello to patrons who had shown up for an early lunch.
From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025
Megan was kind though to not make the sting of the split worse by going through the motions of the wedding day just to say no.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025
Dr. Z told me that Branwell had been following instructions, going through the motions.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
