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.

Clips have since circulated showing both sides at 2-2 appearing to go through the motions rather than pushing for a winner.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 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

“It makes little sense to go through the motions of a three-week evidentiary hearing and all that would follow without a compliant route that can be permitted,” Commission Staff Attorney Kristen Edwards said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 11, 2023

My heart and mind were numb, and if we celebrated, it was all I could do to go through the motions.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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