Idioms are phrases or expressions whose meaning is not obvious from the individual words and must be learned as a whole. People use them to make their everyday language more colorful, expressive, and fun. In this article, you will learn fifty idioms related to moving forward, making progress, and starting fresh.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean progressing, advancing, and continuing. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Moving Forward
1. Turn over a new leaf
Definition: To make a fresh start and change your behavior for the better.
Used in a Sentence: After forgetting his homework twice, he decided to turn over a new leaf and stay organized. / She promised to turn over a new leaf by practicing her piano every single day.
Similar Expressions: Start fresh / Begin anew
2. Step up your game
Definition: To improve your performance or effort to make better progress.
Used in a Sentence: If we want to win the championship soccer match, we need to step up our game. / The math test was very difficult, so he knew he had to step up his game.
Similar Expressions: Try harder / Improve performance
3. Turn the corner
Definition: To pass a difficult point in a situation and start improving.
Used in a Sentence: After struggling with long division for weeks, he finally turned the corner on math homework. / The sick puppy rested all weekend and turned the corner by Monday.
Similar Expressions: Start improving / Pass the worst part
4. Make strides
Definition: To make rapid and significant improvements toward your goals.
Used in a Sentence: He has made great strides in his reading fluency since the beginning of the term. / The robotics team made huge strides in building their robot chassis today.
Similar Expressions: Progress fast / Move forward
5. On the right track
Definition: Following a course of action that will lead to success and progress.
Used in a Sentence: The teacher smiled and said our science project design was on the right track. / Checking your math steps carefully ensures you stay on the right track.
Similar Expressions: Doing well / Heading right
6. Forge ahead
Definition: To move forward strongly and with determination despite difficulties.
Used in a Sentence: Despite the heavy rain, the hikers decided to forge ahead toward the summit. / The team put aside their worries and decided to forge ahead with the project.
Similar Expressions: Push forward / Advance steadily
7. Make headway
Definition: To make progress or move forward in a difficult task.
Used in a Sentence: We worked on our history research all afternoon and finally began to make headway. / Clearing out the messy storage room took hours, but we started making headway.
Similar Expressions: Make progress / Advance forward
8. Put your best foot forward
Definition: To try your hardest and present yourself well as you move ahead.
Used in a Sentence: For the student council interview, she made sure to put her best foot forward. / He ironed his shirt to put his best foot forward on picture day.
Similar Expressions: Try your best / Present well
9. Press on
Definition: To continue moving forward with a task despite feeling tired or facing obstacles.
Used in a Sentence: Even though our legs were sore from running, we had to press on to finish the lap. / She felt tired during the long test, but she decided to press on.
Similar Expressions: Keep going / Continue onward
10. Clear the hurdles
Definition: To overcome difficulties or obstacles that stand in the way of progress.
Used in a Sentence: Once our group managed to clear the hurdles in the coding phase, the app ran smoothly. / Solving the scheduling conflict helped us clear the hurdles for the event.
Similar Expressions: Overcome obstacles / Solve problems
11. Hit the ground running
Definition: To start a new project or task with immediate energy and fast progress.
Used in a Sentence: Arriving early on the first day of camp, she hit the ground running with crafts. / He studied all weekend so he could hit the ground running on Monday.
Similar Expressions: Start fast / Begin energetically
12. Sail through
Definition: To pass through a challenge, test, or task easily and without trouble.
Used in a Sentence: Because she practiced her spelling words every night, she sailed through the quiz. / The new computer update installed quickly and sailed through the checks.
Similar Expressions: Breeze through / Pass easily
13. Break new ground
Definition: To do something innovative that has never been done before.
Used in a Sentence: The students in the science club wanted to break new ground with their recycling robot. / Writing a story from a new perspective helped her break new ground.
Similar Expressions: Innovate / Pioneer a path
14. Pave the way
Definition: To make it easier for future progress or for others to follow.
Used in a Sentence: The early space explorers helped pave the way for modern science discoveries. / Organizing the first club bake sale paved the way for future fundraisers.
Similar Expressions: Make it easier / Clear the path
15. Keep the ball rolling
Definition: To maintain momentum and keep an activity moving forward.
Used in a Sentence: After finishing the first chapter, we needed to keep the ball rolling to finish the book. / The team leader told everyone to keep the ball rolling after our first success.
Similar Expressions: Maintain momentum / Keep moving
16. Out of the woods
Definition: To be past the most dangerous or difficult part of a journey or situation.
Used in a Sentence: After fixing the flat tire, we weren’t completely out of the woods yet, but things looked better. / Once the tricky math section was graded, he felt like he was out of the woods.
Similar Expressions: Past danger / Clear of trouble
17. Catch a tailwind
Definition: To receive helpful assistance or favorable conditions that speed up your progress.
Used in a Sentence: Getting extra help from the librarian gave our research project a helpful tailwind. / The sudden sale boost gave our club fundraiser a great tailwind.
Similar Expressions: Get a boost / Receive help
18. Gain ground
Definition: To make progress or get closer to achieving a goal or catching up in a race.
Used in a Sentence: The runner in second place began to gain ground on the leader during the final lap. / Our study group started to gain ground on the complex history chapters.
Similar Expressions: Catch up / Advance forward
19. Open doors
Definition: To create new opportunities for future success and advancement.
Used in a Sentence: Learning to code computers can open doors to exciting future careers. / Winning the regional science fair helped open doors for her scholarship applications.
Similar Expressions: Create opportunities / Unlock chances
20. Turn over a fresh leaf
Definition: To start completely over with positive changes and better habits for the future.
Used in a Sentence: She decided to turn over a fresh leaf by volunteering at the animal shelter every Saturday. / After a messy semester, he turned over a fresh leaf with his notebooks.
Similar Expressions: Fresh start / New beginning
21. Hit your stride
Definition: To reach a comfortable, highly productive rhythm where progress happens easily.
Used in a Sentence: After struggling with the first few chapters, he finally hit his stride in history class. / The runners hit their stride halfway through the marathon lap.
Similar Expressions: Find your rhythm / Run smoothly
22. Get back on track
Definition: To return to a successful plan or schedule after a setback.
Used in a Sentence: After losing our focus during the holidays, we need to get back on track with studying. / Finishing the outline helped get our essay writing back on track.
Similar Expressions: Resume progress / Return to plan
23. Level up
Definition: To improve your skills, knowledge, or abilities to a higher tier of progress.
Used in a Sentence: Reading challenging chapter books helped him level up his literacy skills. / She practiced hard on the uneven bars to level up her gymnastics routine.
Similar Expressions: Advance skills / Upgrade ability
24. Make tracks
Definition: To leave quickly and start moving toward a destination.
Used in a Sentence: It was getting late, so we packed our bags and decided to make tracks for home. / The sun was setting, so the hikers had to make tracks down the mountain trail.
Similar Expressions: Head out / Move quickly
25. Leap and the net will appear
Definition: To take a brave step forward into the unknown trusting that things will work out.
Used in a Sentence: Trying out for the school play for the first time felt like leaping with the belief the net would appear. / She took a risk on her art design, acting like someone ready to leap.
Similar Expressions: Take a chance / Trust the process
26. Step up to the plate
Definition: To take responsibility and advance a situation by taking action.
Used in a Sentence: When the group leader fell ill, she stepped up to the plate to finish the project. / He decided to step up to the plate and organize the charity bake sale.
Similar Expressions: Take charge / Be responsible
27. Put your shoulder to the wheel
Definition: To push forward with hard work and dedicated effort.
Used in a Sentence: If we want to finish building the float before Friday, we need to put our shoulders to the wheel. / She put her shoulder to the wheel and finished her homework early.
Similar Expressions: Work hard / Push forward
28. Take the bull by the horns
Definition: To face a challenge directly and move forward with courage.
Used in a Sentence: Instead of avoiding the difficult math homework, he decided to take the bull by the horns. / She took the bull by the horns and organized the messy supply closet.
Similar Expressions: Face challenges / Act bravely
29. Get the show on the road
Definition: To begin an activity or project and start moving forward without delay.
Used in a Sentence: Everyone was seated, so the director announced it was time to get the show on the road. / We gathered our supplies and got the show on the road for the weekend trip.
Similar Expressions: Start the project / Begin working
30. Hit the road
Definition: To start traveling or moving forward on a journey.
Used in a Sentence: Early Saturday morning, we packed the car and hit the road for camping. / After finishing our chores, we were ready to hit the road.
Similar Expressions: Start traveling / Head out
31. Push the envelope
Definition: To push past normal limits to achieve greater progress and innovation.
Used in a Sentence: The design team wanted to push the envelope with their creative science model. / She pushed the envelope by trying a brand new painting style for the art show.
Similar Expressions: Push limits / Innovate boldly
32. Chart a course
Definition: To plan out your future steps and direction for moving forward.
Used in a Sentence: Before starting high school, he sat down with his parents to chart a course for his classes. / The club officers met on Monday to chart a course for the spring events.
Similar Expressions: Plan ahead / Map out
33. Onward and upward
Definition: An encouraging phrase meaning to keep progressing toward higher goals.
Used in a Sentence: After finishing middle school, the students shouted onward and upward toward high school. / We won the local round, so it is onward and upward to regionals.
Similar Expressions: Keep climbing / Progress higher
34. Sail into the wind
Definition: To make progress forward even when conditions are difficult or challenging.
Used in a Sentence: Learning a new language can feel like sailing into the wind at first, but it gets easier. / The team sailed into the wind to finish their report on time.
Similar Expressions: Overcome resistance / Push ahead
35. Break the mold
Definition: To move forward by doing things in a completely original, non-traditional way.
Used in a Sentence: Her unique science presentation design really helped her break the mold. / He chose to break the mold by writing a musical story instead of an essay.
Similar Expressions: Be original / Do things differently
36. Clear the runway
Definition: To remove all final obstacles so a project or person can move forward.
Used in a Sentence: Finishing the last paperwork helped clear the runway for the club field trip. / Mom cleared the runway for my weekend study time by doing my chores.
Similar Expressions: Remove barriers / Clear the path
37. Go places
Definition: To be destined for future success, progress, and achievement.
Used in a Sentence: The teacher told the creative young inventor that she was going places. / With his strong work ethic and friendly attitude, he is definitely going places.
Similar Expressions: Achieve success / Have a bright future
38. Make strides of progress
Definition: To advance rapidly toward a successful finish line.
Used in a Sentence: The young musicians made strides of progress during band camp week. / He made strides of progress in learning how to ride a bicycle.
Similar Expressions: Advance fast / Grow quickly
39. Push ahead through thick and thin
Definition: To keep moving forward no matter how many difficulties arise.
Used in a Sentence: The siblings promised to push ahead through thick and thin while building their treehouse. / She encouraged her teammates to push ahead through thick and thin.
Similar Expressions: Persevere / Keep going
40. Start with a clean slate
Definition: To leave past mistakes behind and move forward with a fresh start.
Used in a Sentence: The new semester let every student start with a clean slate in class. / He apologized for his mistake and started with a clean slate.
Similar Expressions: Fresh start / Clean beginning
41. Make headway against the tide
Definition: To make progress even when forces are working against you.
Used in a Sentence: Swimming upstream felt tough, but the little fish made headway against the tide. / Working through the hard vocabulary list felt like making headway against the tide.
Similar Expressions: Overcome resistance / Progress against odds
42. Put the pedal to the metal
Definition: To increase your speed and effort to move forward as fast as possible.
Used in a Sentence: With only ten minutes left on the clock, we had to put the pedal to the metal to finish. / She put the pedal to the metal to complete her art painting before dark.
Similar Expressions: Speed up / Work fast
43. Step forward
Definition: To volunteer, advance, or take the initiative to help move things along.
Used in a Sentence: When the teacher asked for a volunteer to lead the group, he decided to step forward. / She stepped forward to offer her notes to the absent student.
Similar Expressions: Volunteer / Take initiative
44. Turn a new page
Definition: To begin a new, positive chapter of your life or work.
Used in a Sentence: Moving to a new neighborhood felt like getting to turn a new page in a book. / He decided to turn a new page by joining the school debate team.
Similar Expressions: New chapter / Fresh start
45. Keep moving
Definition: The simple practice of not stopping when trying to reach a destination or goal.
Used in a Sentence: When walking up the long hill, she reminded herself to keep moving. / Even when the puzzle got tricky, he told himself to keep moving.
Similar Expressions: Keep going / Stay active
46. Follow the road ahead
Definition: To look forward to future steps and plans without worrying about the past.
Used in a Sentence: The graduation speaker encouraged everyone to look back fondly but follow the road ahead. / He planned his college goals by following the road ahead.
Similar Expressions: Look forward / Plan the future
47. March forward
Definition: To advance with steady, rhythmic, and unstoppable determination.
Used in a Sentence: The band members began to march forward onto the football field. / We continued to march forward with our community service project.
Similar Expressions: Advance steadily / Move onward
48. Build momentum
Definition: To increase your speed and success as you move forward with a task.
Used in a Sentence: Scoring the first goal helped the soccer team build momentum for the rest of the game. / Finishing the easy homework first helped her build momentum for the hard math.
Similar Expressions: Gain speed / Grow stronger
49. Move ahead in leaps and bounds
Definition: To make very fast and impressive progress toward a goal.
Used in a Sentence: With daily practice, her piano playing moved ahead in leaps and bounds. / The construction of the school garden moved ahead in leaps and bounds.
Similar Expressions: Rapid growth / Huge progress
50. Rise to the occasion
Definition: To perform surprisingly well and move forward successfully when faced with a challenge.
Used in a Sentence: When the star player got hurt, the rookie substitute rose to the occasion during the game. / She felt nervous about the presentation, but she rose to the occasion brilliantly.
Similar Expressions: Meet the challenge / Succeed bravely
Exercise to Practice
- After forgetting his homework twice, he decided to turn over a new leaf and stay organized.
- If we want to win the championship soccer match, we need to sit on the grass and eat ice cream.
- After struggling with long division for weeks, he finally turned the corner on math homework.
- We worked on our history research all afternoon and finally began to make headway.
- Despite the heavy rain, the hikers decided to sit down inside a warm tent and cancel the trip.
- For the student council interview, she made sure to put her best foot forward.
- Arriving early on the first day of camp, she hit the ground running with crafts.
- The students in the science club wanted to break new ground with their recycling robot.
- Early Saturday morning, we unpacked the car and hit the road for camping.
- The teacher smiled and said our science project design was on the right track.
- Even though our legs were sore from running, we decided to sleep for ten hours instead.
- Once our group managed to clear the hurdles in the coding phase, the app ran smoothly.
- Because she practiced her spelling words every night, she sailed through the quiz.
- The early space explorers helped pave the way for modern science discoveries.
- After finishing the first chapter, we needed to keep the ball rolling to finish the book.
Answer Key
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- False
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- True
Conclusion
Learning these idioms helps us understand how people creatively describe moving forward, making progress, and starting fresh. Exploring these helpful expressions makes talking about personal growth much more expressive and relatable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common idioms for moving forward?
Common idioms often describe progress using phrases like turn over a new leaf, step up your game, hit the ground running, or get back on track. Examples include turning over a new leaf, hitting the ground running on a new project, or getting back on track. These expressions highlight fresh starts, hard work, and continuous improvement.
Why do people use idioms to describe progress?
People use idioms because abstract concepts like personal growth and advancement can be made much more colorful with creative comparisons. Saying someone hit the ground running gives readers an instant mental picture of fast, energetic progress. This makes storytelling much more engaging.
How can I use these moving forward idioms in creative writing?
You can use these idioms in stories or character essays to show how a character overcomes a setback and achieves success. For instance, describing a character starting fresh as turning over a new leaf builds strong positive imagery. It helps readers visualize the character’s new beginning.
Are moving forward idioms used in everyday conversations?
Speakers frequently use phrases like get back on track or step up your game in daily life to encourage friends or plan daily tasks. These colorful expressions make routine updates sound more expressive and relatable. They add flavor and clarity to casual talks.
Where can I find more idioms for personal success?
Our website features many lists of idioms, metaphors, and similes covering personal success, emotions, and school topics. You can browse our collection anytime to expand your vocabulary and improve your creative writing skills.
