go through the motions

Idioms

Do something perfunctorily, or merely pretend to do it. For example, The team is so far behind that they're just going through the motions, or She didn't really grieve at his death; she just went through the motions. [c. 1800]

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.

She said the party "cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline", adding: "We're running out of time."

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

You should at least go through the motions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

“I would go through the motions of breathing but feel like I wasn’t getting any oxygen, ” said Roy, 41.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2023

One's heart goes out to those journalists who bothered to go through the motions of carefully debunking Carlson's lies, knowing that not even his followers believe him.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2023

We can only be taught how to go through the motions of creating.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

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