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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.

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

And voters go through the motions, with some casting votes despite being disinterested and uninformed.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2022

They go through the motions; then they lock them up.

From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

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