get off the ground

Idioms

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.

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.

But the response has been slow to get off the ground in a province where state services have been largely absent from rural areas for decades.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Those who have long waited for such a league to get off the ground in Europe could be forgiven for being measured in their anticipation until the first ball is bowled.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Still, he’s happy to see the office get off the ground, particularly in light of the federal cuts to civil rights enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2025

With all those people, hundreds of heavy padded chairs, and all those bags, how would the plane ever get off the ground?

From "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023