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

Pantoja, for his part, knows he’s facing a champion who’s already had the chance to prove he can go the distance for five rounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 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

After 10 months of speculation about Hearts' capacity to go the distance, we now have our answer.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Distrust is the topmost requirement to go the distance in this game, after all.

From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026

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

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• polish off
• terminate