Get the Ball Rolling
“Get the ball rolling” means begin an activity or cause a process to start. Cambridge also records closely related “start” and “set” forms, so the guide focuses on the shared present-day meaning rather than an unsupported origin story.
“Get the ball rolling” means start an activity or set a process in motion.
Key details
Further guidance
Contextual Examples
I’ll get the ball rolling by sending the agenda this afternoon.
The chair got the ball rolling with a short round of introductions.
Current Meaning
to start an activity or make something begin, often in a way that encourages further action
History Boundary
This guide establishes present-day form and meaning and does not assert an exact inventor, coinage, or first printed use.
Meaning Boundary
It emphasizes initiation. If the process is already underway and you only mean “continue,” another verb is clearer.
Practical Use
Use the idiom when someone takes the first practical step that starts an activity, discussion, project, or process and enables later steps to follow.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Get/start the ball rolling — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Current idiom meaning: start an activity or make something begin