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Synonyms

hit the ground running

Idioms  

  1. Seize an opportunity; begin at full speed. For example, As soon as the front office gave its approval for the new department, we hit the ground running. The origin of this term is disputed. It may come from troops dropped into a combat zone, from stowaways jumping off a freight train as it nears the station, or from Pony Express riders avoiding delay when they changed mounts.

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.

Scotland need momentum, they need to crash rather than limp into the World Cup, they need to hit the ground running.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

But to survive at Forest he needs to hit the ground running and victory over his former club Fenerbahce was a step in the right direction.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani has hit the ground running in spring training in an effort to ramp up to pitch without restrictions before leaving camp for WBC obligations with Team Japan.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been training with Arsenal in recent months and thanked the Premier League leaders for helping him to hit the ground running in Glasgow.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

He hit the ground running and hauled the reins back, dragging the horse to a halt.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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.