through the motions
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.
She said the party "cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline", adding: "We're running out of time."
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
It’s an assembly of archetypes going through the motions, snow falling and lights twinkling all the while.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
He was calling Speaker Mike Johnson, who was going through the motions of saying hello to patrons who had shown up for an early lunch.
From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025
You’ve been going through the motions in life, but that’s when it gets very real.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2025
Tom was going through the motions, but all the while his eyes were watching Maria.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
