get a move on

Idioms  

1. Also,. Hurry up; also, start working. For example, Get a move on, it's late, or Let's get cracking, kids, or It's time we got going, or The alarm went off ten minutes ago, so get rolling. The first colloquial expression dates from the late 1800s. The second term, also colloquial, employs the verb to crack in the sense of “travel with speed,” a usage dating from the early 1800s, but the idiom dates only from the first half of the 1900s. The third term dates from the late 1800s and also has other meanings; see get going. Get rolling alludes to setting wheels in motion and dates from the first half of the 1900s. Also see get busy; get on the stick.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

get a move on

First Minister John Swinney has urged the UK government to "get a move on" with support for households hit by sharp increases in the cost of heating oil.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

In the end, no one could be sure why potentially millions of squirrels decided to get a move on en masse.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2023

The scoreboard at the Sentry Tournament of Champions delivered a clear message to get a move on it.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2022

Others urged U.S. market participants not to wait until mid 2023 but to get a move on by learning from the more advanced switch in Europe.

From Reuters ● Dec. 13, 2021

“Jem better get a move on if he wants to get Irene. That trap of his won’t do better than thirty.”

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• advance
• boost
• expedite
• facilitate
• fly
• further
• hasten
• help
• hurry
• promote
• quicken
• ride
• run
• rush
• zoom