get off the ground

Idioms  

1. Make a start, get underway, as in Because of legal difficulties, the construction project never got off the ground. This expression, alluding to flight, dates from the mid-1900s. The similar-sounding get off to a flying start, meaning “make a successful start,” alludes not to flight but to a quick start in a race, a usage from the late 1800s. For example, He's off to a flying start with his dissertation.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

get off the ground

Alternatives have been slow to get off the ground.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Many grading reforms fail to get off the ground because universities are reluctant to regulate the grading practices of individual professors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

At least a proposed tie-dye number didn't get off the ground.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

That is, if you can even get off the ground.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026

“About your plane ride. You never did expect it to get off the ground, did you?”

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck