go to town
Idioms-
Also, go to town on.
-
Do something efficiently and energetically. For example, She really went to town, not only developing and printing the film but making both mat and frame . [Early 1900s]
-
Act without restraint, overindulge, as in He went to town on the hors d'oeuvres, finishing nearly all of them . [Early 1900s]
-
Be successful, as in After months of hard work, their business is really going to town . [Mid-1900s]
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.
Mooresville resident Mikayla Hamilton, 23, finds much about the episode baffling, including Carney’s decision to go to town hall rather than head home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Of course, the internet is going to jump in and go to town on the documents, turning even these grim revelations into a meme.
From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026
McPhee is one of the all-time great generalists, a writer who can go to town on just about any subject, so long as the passion and interest move him.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 13, 2023
"If you want to be able to go to town you shouldn't have to pay really"
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2023
“Are you ready to go to town and begin preparation for the trip?” he asked in English.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
