get the ball rolling

Idioms

Also, keep the ball rolling. Start an undertaking; also, keep an undertaking from flagging. For example, Let's get the ball rolling by putting up some posters, or The hostess kept the ball rolling, talking to each of the guests in turn. This expression originated in one or another sport in which it was important to keep a ball moving. [Colloquial; late 1700s] Also see get the show on the road.

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.

JPMorgan will get the ball rolling on financials next week, with first quarter updates following from the country’s biggest banks, as analysts see sector earnings rising 18% to around $98.5 billion.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

In industries such as construction, sufficient capacity already exists to get the ball rolling on investment, he added.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

It’s time to hire a lawyer and get the ball rolling on probate, and make sure these accounts are dealt with properly.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025

A site owned by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, in west Harlow, was purchased by PHE for £30m to get the ball rolling in 2017.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025

Haymitch is whisked away on a stretcher, and Effie Trinket is trying to get the ball rolling again.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

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