from the word go

Idioms  

1. From the start, as in I've had trouble with this computer from the word go. This expression probably alludes to the start of a race, signaled by the word go. [Early 1800s] For a synonym, see from scratch.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

from the word go

In a sport where the peloton used to pick its moments to exert energy, today's racing is "full gas from the word go" as riders try to find pace advantages in all areas of stages.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Pretty much from the word go, the audience was trying to figure out who killed whom with what and why.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2022

"The judge was biased against us from the word go and threw caution to the wind by conducting a sham trial," he wrote on Twitter.

From Reuters ● Jul. 28, 2022

The Tomorrow War needs a little explaining from the word go.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2021

More Daisy than Elizabeth from the word go.

From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff