go to the well

verb

To draw on a resource or reserve that may be at risk of being exhausted.

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Meanings

verbgo to the well (third-person singular simple present goes to the well, present participle going to the well, simple past went to the well, past participle gone to the well)

present singular third person goes to the well · participle present going to the well · past went to the well · participle past gone to the well

  1. idiomaticTo draw on a resource or reserve that may be at risk of being exhausted.

    City manager Pep Guardiola asked his side, who suffered such bitter disappointed as their hold on the Champions League trophy was wrestled away by Spanish giants Real, to go to the well once more against a highly-motivated Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

    2024 April 20, Phil McNulty, “Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“go to the well.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20to%20the%20well. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go to the well,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20to%20the%20well.

Source: go to the well on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.