get the ball rolling

verb

To begin; to start some action; to set in motion.

“Did you ever get the ball rolling on your plans to build a shed?”

Similar
set the ball rollingstart the ball rolling
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Meanings

verbget the ball rolling (third-person singular simple present gets the ball rolling, present participle getting the ball rolling, simple past got the ball rolling, past participle (UK) got the ball rolling or (US) gotten the ball rolling)

present singular third person gets the ball rolling · participle present getting the ball rolling · past got the ball rolling · UK participle past got the ball rolling · US participle past gotten the ball rolling

  1. idiomaticinformalTo begin; to start some action; to set in motion.

    Did you ever get the ball rolling on your plans to build a shed?

    2 more examples

    The execution of Littlefinger is formal, although his trial admittedly gives us ample opportunity to appreciate the tables finally turning on the man who got the ball rolling on all this bloodshed.

    2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club

    I knew who you were as a [RuPaul's] Drag Race fan. So I was gagged personally and I still am gagged, but it was quite divine intervention. Thom Kerr, the photographer, really got the ball rolling and I had no idea what to expect of this shoot besides greatness.

    2024 May 10, Justin Moran, quoting Isaac Dunbar, “Isaac Dunbar and Kerri Colby Were Built for This”, in Paper

    Synonyms: set the ball rolling, start the ball rolling

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo begin; to start some action; to set in motion.

Similar
set the ball rollingstart the ball rolling
Also see
set the ball rollingstart the ball rolling
Cite this entry
APA

get the ball rolling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20the%20ball%20rolling

MLA

“get the ball rolling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20the%20ball%20rolling. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get the ball rolling,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20the%20ball%20rolling.

Source: get the ball rolling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.