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.
Gibby pushed Ridge’s hands out of the way and said, “We better get going. Don’t you think, guys?”
From Literature
“I just said I’d bring him in, and I did. He’s stuck here, I’m afraid. I’m really surprised you didn’t figure that one out sooner, though, considering that huge brain you’ve got going for you.”
From Literature
No matter what we’re doing, my mind gets going with ideas that have nothing to do with sports.
From Literature
“I checked the roads. They’re already jammed from holiday traffic. If I want to get to Atlanta, I need to get going.”
From Literature
Dad swears Mom’s nose is as cute as ever and I don’t notice anything different about it, but she still touches it gingerly when he starts talking about some big new idea he’s got going.
From Literature
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.
