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The show must go on
The show must go onPeople are counting on us to do this, and we must not disappoint them.
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show must go on, the
show must go on, theThe proceedings must continue, no matter what unfortunate event has occurred, as in The chairman died yesterday but the show must go on. This expression is a theatrical credo dating from the 1800s and was transferred to other situations in the first half of the 1900s.
The show must go on
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This notion is supposed to be a fundamental principle of entertainers.
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.
See Examples For:
In its final scene, “Lumière” illustrates another showbiz bromide: The show must go on — and it is Moreau’s show.
From New York Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
The show must go on, however, and someone needs to do the important work of antagonizing Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar and by extension all of us on a daily basis.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2021
The show must go on, and the monarchy — rocked by ongoing scandals and new revelations of previous bad behavior — needs to get up onstage and perform.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 2, 2021
The show must go on was always the thing.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2020
"The show must go on," was the motto, no matter how the performer suffered.
From Joe Strong on the Trapeze or The Daring Feats of a Young Circus Performer by Barnum, Vance
Just as the show must go on, the store must stay open.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2016
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.