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.
Finally, things get going with a funeral — I won’t say whose, only that the death makes a fitting twist for an industry already getting the axe.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 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
“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
Not forgetting the mill itself, which is "fun to get going and very easy to operate", Brendan said, having taught himself using the internet and books.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
The girl pauses, then continues, "Anyway. You better get going."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
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.
