go the distance

Idioms  

1. Carry through a course of action to completion. For example, He said he's willing to go the distance with this project. This expression originated in boxing, where it means “to last for all the rounds that have been scheduled.” In baseball the same term means “to pitch an entire game.” For a synonym, see all the way, def. 1.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go the distance

Will one of these underdogs go the distance?

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

With 41 knockouts between them from 43 victories, few expect the contest to go the distance.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

And this one has delivered an epic Final Four of blue bloods who have all proven they can go the distance: France, Spain, England, and Argentina.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Others of his kind fail to go the distance because of a detail misspoken or a slip of the mask.

From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026

They would need 40,000 years to go the distance to the nearest star.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Related Words

• polish off
• terminate

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