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.

go the distance

Soderling is now more watchful for signs that an entrepreneur will go the distance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

After 10 months of speculation about Hearts' capacity to go the distance, we now have our answer.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Others of his kind fail to go the distance because of a detail misspoken or a slip of the mask.

From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

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

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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