get or keep the ball rolling
English Meaning & Definitions
To start an activity, process, or conversation, or to maintain the momentum of something that has already begun.
- “Let's introduce ourselves first to get the ball rolling.”
- “We need to keep the ball rolling on this project to finish it before the deadline.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “get or keep the ball rolling”.
This idiom originates from 19th-century American politics, particularly associated with presidential campaigns. In 1840, supporters of William Henry Harrison used massive, lightweight balls made of tin and leather pushed along by crowds at political rallies and parades to symbolize momentum and progress, popularizing the phrase 'keep the ball rolling.'
Picture a giant snowball rolling down a hill; once it starts, you have to keep pushing it so it doesn't stop.
Frequently Asked Questions About “get or keep the ball rolling”
1. What is the meaning of “get or keep the ball rolling” in English?
In English, get or keep the ball rolling (idiom) is defined as: “To start an activity, process, or conversation, or to maintain the momentum of something that has already begun.”.
2. How do you use “get or keep the ball rolling” in a sentence?
“Let's introduce ourselves first to get the ball rolling.”
3. What are English synonyms of “get or keep the ball rolling”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “get or keep the ball rolling”?
This idiom originates from 19th-century American politics, particularly associated with presidential campaigns. In 1840, supporters of William Henry Harrison used massive, lightweight balls made of tin and leather pushed along by crowds at political rallies and parades to symbolize momentum and progress, popularizing the phrase 'keep the ball rolling.'
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.