idiom (phrasal verb) · neutral
get the ball rolling
UK/ɡet ðə bɔːl ˈrəʊlɪŋ/US/ɡet ðə bɔl ˈroʊlɪŋ/get·the·ball·ROLL·ing
to start an activity or process so that other things can follow
Examples
“We need someone to get the ball rolling on the marketing plan.”
“If we want results fast, let's get the ball rolling this week.”
“The meeting was useful to get the ball rolling on the new product.”
Band 8 sentence
“To meet the deadline, I suggested we get the ball rolling immediately and assign clear responsibilities.”
Collocations
- get the ball rolling on a project / initiative
- get the ball rolling with a meeting
Word family
Common mistakes
get ball rolling→get the ball rolling
to get the ball rollinged→got the ball rolling
start the ball rolling→get the ball rolling
Say it for a higher band
5start→6start off→7+get the ball rolling
Synonyms
kick things off
Easily confused
kick things off
“Let's kick things off with a brief introduction.”
Related words
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In Work
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