the rubber hits the road

A form of the rubber meets the road — A place or circumstance at which the implementation of a plan or intent is to be achieved.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. alternativeAlternative form of the rubber meets the road.

    It is in these conversations that the rubber hits the road, where the plan gets traction.

    2011, Kevin Murray, The Language of Leaders, →ISBN
    3 more examples

    We do it in our teaching, which is where the rubber hits the road in the improvisation community.

    2014, Kent De Spain, Landscape of the Now: A Topography of Movement Improvisation, →ISBN

    It often tends to be the most controversial field in theology because it's where the rubber hits the road in terms of what the Church says on the hotbutton issues of the day, from abortion and homosexuality to war and the environment.

    2014, John L. Allen Jr., The Catholic Church: What Everyone Needs to Know®, →ISBN

    When Senator Barack Obama ran for president, he noted: The mayors have some of the toughest jobs in the country, because that's where the rubber hits the road.

    2014, Robert D. Behn, The PerformanceStat Potential, →ISBN
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“the rubber hits the road.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20rubber%20hits%20the%20road. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the rubber hits the road,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20rubber%20hits%20the%20road.

Source: the rubber hits the road on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.