set the wheels in motion

verb

to initiate a chain of events necessary to help one achieve a goal (more quickly)

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Meanings

verbset the wheels in motion (third-person singular simple present sets the wheels in motion, present participle setting the wheels in motion, simple past and past participle set the wheels in motion)

present singular third person sets the wheels in motion · participle present setting the wheels in motion

  1. idiomaticto initiate a chain of events necessary to help one achieve a goal (more quickly)
Cite this entry
APA

set the wheels in motion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20the%20wheels%20in%20motion

MLA

“set the wheels in motion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20the%20wheels%20in%20motion. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “set the wheels in motion,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20the%20wheels%20in%20motion.

Source: set the wheels in motion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.