set the wheels in motion
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Positive test results from the first patient Weyer encountered set the wheels in motion for the global effort to identify and contain a potential outbreak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
“He’s been looking for a change in an environment, and I think this might set the wheels in motion for that to be accomplished.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2024
He said he sent a notice to the state revisor’s office for a joint order to set the wheels in motion ahead of lawmakers’ return to Augusta next week.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 29, 2023
Supreme Court set the wheels in motion for Tuesday’s settlement with a decision to deny Remington’s bid to block the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2022
"Stand back, venture not too near," he commanded, and placing a heavy piece of loose rock upon the case, he set the wheels in motion and stepped back proudly behind his handiwork.
From Heiress of Haddon by William E. Doubleday
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.
