get one's ass in gear

verb

To exert effective effort; to get going; to get moving; to start producing.

“He had been sitting there for two hours until the boss showed up and told him to get his ass in gear.”

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Meanings

verbget one's ass in gear (third-person singular simple present gets one's ass in gear, present participle getting one's ass in gear, simple past got one's ass in gear, past participle gotten one's ass in gear)

present singular third person gets one's ass in gear · participle present getting one's ass in gear · past got one's ass in gear · participle past gotten one's ass in gear · alternative get one's arse into gear · alternative get one's ass into gear · alternative put one's ass in gear · alternative have one's ass in gear

  1. USidiomaticTo exert effective effort; to get going; to get moving; to start producing.

    He had been sitting there for two hours until the boss showed up and told him to get his ass in gear.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
get it onquickenspeed up

Translations

Finnish panna liikettä niveliin
  • panna liikettä niveliinto exert effective effort
Polish ruszać dupę, ruszyć dupę
  • ruszać dupęto exert effective effort
  • ruszyć dupęto exert effective effort
Portuguese mexer-se
  • mexer-seto exert effective effort
Russian вка́лывать, горба́титься
  • вка́лывать (vkályvatʹ)to exert effective effort
  • горба́титься (gorbátitʹsja)to exert effective effort
  • въёбывать (vʺjóbyvatʹ)to exert effective effort
  • въя́бывать (vʺjábyvatʹ)to exert effective effort
Spanish mover el culo
  • mover el culoto exert effective effort
Cite this entry
APA

get one's ass in gear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20ass%20in%20gear

MLA

“get one's ass in gear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20ass%20in%20gear. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get one's ass in gear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20ass%20in%20gear.

Source: get one's ass in gear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.