go the distance

Idioms

Carry through a course of action to completion. For example, He said he's willing to go the distance with this project. This expression originated in boxing, where it means “to last for all the rounds that have been scheduled.” In baseball the same term means “to pitch an entire game.” For a synonym, see all the way, def. 1.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nearly everybody said that Hearts could not go the distance, but they're still there, still believing.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Any serious competitor has to be ready to go the distance.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

There’s something that happens on a pickleball court when points go the distance.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

It's hard to imagine that most of them will go the distance.

From Salon • Dec. 11, 2024

They would need 40,000 years to go the distance to the nearest star.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023