get the lead out

verb

To go faster; to hurry up.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

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

present singular third person gets the lead out · participle present getting the lead out · past got the lead out · UK participle past got the lead out · US participle past gotten the lead out

  1. datedidiomaticTo go faster; to hurry up.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
get it onquickenspeed up

Origin

A shortened form of get the lead out of one's shoes (or one's pants). Here, lead refers to a very heavy metal, thus the expression means roughly to get rid of whatever is slowing one down and hurry up.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: get the lead out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.