"get the ball rolling" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gets the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "getting the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gotten the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "get<,,got,got􂀿UK􂁀:gotten􂀿US􂁀> the ball rolling"
      },
      "expansion": "get the ball rolling (third-person singular simple present gets the ball rolling, present participle getting the ball rolling, simple past got the ball rolling, past participle (UK) got the ball rolling or (US) gotten the ball rolling)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Did you ever get the ball rolling on your plans to build a shed?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:",
          "text": "The execution of Littlefinger is formal, although his trial admittedly gives us ample opportunity to appreciate the tables finally turning on the man who got the ball rolling on all this bloodshed.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 May 10, Justin Moran, quoting Isaac Dunbar, “Isaac Dunbar and Kerri Colby Were Built for This”, in Paper:",
          "text": "I knew who you were as a [RuPaul's] Drag Race fan. So I was gagged personally and I still am gagged, but it was quite divine intervention. Thom Kerr, the photographer, really got the ball rolling and I had no idea what to expect of this shoot besides greatness.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To begin; to start some action; to set in motion."
      ],
      "id": "en-get_the_ball_rolling-en-verb-5ONnEIgP",
      "links": [
        [
          "begin",
          "begin"
        ],
        [
          "action",
          "action"
        ],
        [
          "set in motion",
          "set in motion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal, idiomatic) To begin; to start some action; to set in motion."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "keep the ball rolling"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "set the ball rolling"
        },
        {
          "word": "start the ball rolling"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-get the ball rolling.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/ab/En-au-get_the_ball_rolling.ogg/En-au-get_the_ball_rolling.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/En-au-get_the_ball_rolling.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "get the ball rolling"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gets the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "getting the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gotten the ball rolling",
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "get<,,got,got􂀿UK􂁀:gotten􂀿US􂁀> the ball rolling"
      },
      "expansion": "get the ball rolling (third-person singular simple present gets the ball rolling, present participle getting the ball rolling, simple past got the ball rolling, past participle (UK) got the ball rolling or (US) gotten the ball rolling)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "keep the ball rolling"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Did you ever get the ball rolling on your plans to build a shed?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:",
          "text": "The execution of Littlefinger is formal, although his trial admittedly gives us ample opportunity to appreciate the tables finally turning on the man who got the ball rolling on all this bloodshed.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 May 10, Justin Moran, quoting Isaac Dunbar, “Isaac Dunbar and Kerri Colby Were Built for This”, in Paper:",
          "text": "I knew who you were as a [RuPaul's] Drag Race fan. So I was gagged personally and I still am gagged, but it was quite divine intervention. Thom Kerr, the photographer, really got the ball rolling and I had no idea what to expect of this shoot besides greatness.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To begin; to start some action; to set in motion."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "begin",
          "begin"
        ],
        [
          "action",
          "action"
        ],
        [
          "set in motion",
          "set in motion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal, idiomatic) To begin; to start some action; to set in motion."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-get the ball rolling.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/ab/En-au-get_the_ball_rolling.ogg/En-au-get_the_ball_rolling.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/En-au-get_the_ball_rolling.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "set the ball rolling"
    },
    {
      "word": "start the ball rolling"
    }
  ],
  "word": "get the ball rolling"
}