get going
Idioms-
See get a move on .
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get something going . Start something, get something into full swing. For example, Once we get production going we'll have no more problems . This usage also appears in when the going gets tough, the tough get going , meaning that difficulties spur on capable individuals; the first tough here means “difficult,” whereas the second means “strong-minded, resolute.” For example, That problem won't stop Tom; when the going gets tough, the tough get going . Also see swing into action .
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Make someone talkative or active, as in Once he got her going on her grandchildren, there was no stopping her . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]
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.
Further funding has allowed them to focus on research and development and set up a composting school to help other projects in other communities get going.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Because we have active children, we still wake up at 6 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, but there’s not as much of a rush to get going.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
Late last year, he launched a so-called "affordability tour" in Pennsylvania but it has failed to get going in earnest.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
“Bear with me, because that will take some time and obvious care, but I’m keen to get going on it,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
"Before we get going, you sure you good, Candace?"
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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.
