go a long way toward

Idioms  

1. Have considerable effect or influence on. For example, This argument goes a long way toward proving the scientists are wrong, or, as Eudora Welty put it in The Ponder Heart (1954): “It went a long way toward making him touchy about what Uncle Daniel had gone and done.” This idiom, then put as go a great way toward, was first recorded in 1697.

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Example Sentences

It may sound basic, but our study shows that just making women golfers not feel like outsiders can go a long way toward making them more comfortable on the course.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“A lower fee structure would go a long way toward improving managers’ standing with investors,” says Julian Klymochko, CEO of Accelerate, a Canadian financial-services company.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

I think that will go a long way toward lowering the temperature.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2026

Autonomous vehicle companies envision a future where most humans don’t need to touch a steering wheel and argue that replacing drivers will go a long way toward minimizing dangerous situations.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025

"My lords, it seems to me that if the rest of her kin were to remain loyal in this terrible time, that would go a long way toward laying our fears to rest."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin