Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to leave it all on the field

to leave it all on the field

1 6.8
To try as hard as you can during a game or competition
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : darlo todo
  • If we want to win, we have to leave it all on the field and show our full commitment in every play.
  • want to leave it all on the field

Come on, come on, When your coach told you to leave it all on the field, this is not what he meant.

Examples

  • Tomlin knows the ins and outs of offensive football, but his strength is getting all his players—including his quarterback—to leave it all on the field every game.

    Blog text (30)

  • The coach told us to leave it all on the field during the championship game, giving our best effort.

  • No matter who we're playing, individual or team, we leave it all on the field.

    Blog text (6)

  • Such dedication is what athletes call "leaving it all on the field."

    Blog text (16)

  • He left it all on the field.

    Blog text (3)

  • Let's leave it all on the field," Ryan told Ohio supporters.

    Blog text (28)

  • He's telling himself, "This is the game I was born to play, and I'm going to leave it all on the field."

    Blog text (21)

  • He implored Coloradans to "leave it all on the field" on Election Day, to urge friends and families to go to the polls.

    Blog text (22)

  • After an intense match, the players knew they had left it all on the field, exhausting every ounce of energy.

Synonyms

to go all out
vsto leave it all on the field
39 4.1

To try as hard as you can with a lot of energy

is similar but highlights peak effort in competitive or activity settings
to give it one's all
vsto leave it all on the field
4 4.9

To try as hard as possible using all your energy

is used for giving maximum effort especially in competitions or activities
to put one's shoulder into
vsto leave it all on the field
  • Informal
1 6.8

To work very hard and use a lot of energy

means giving absolute top effort in a competition rather than steady labour
to give one's all
vsto leave it all on the field
  • Informal
3.8

Put in as much effort and energy as possible

is about giving that utmost effort particularly during a competition or activity
to give full measure
vsto leave it all on the field
5.4

Try as hard as possible to do something well

focuses on that top effort specifically in contests or active performance

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

to hold back
187 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

How Committed

to leave it all on the field
  • Informal
1 6.8
to try
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

leave it all on the field infinitive
leaving it all on the field present participle
leaves it all on the field third person singular
left it all on the field past
left it all on the field past participle

Morphology

leave + it + all + on + the + field

The phrase literally combines familiar words ('leave', 'all', 'on', 'field') so learners can infer a concrete image of leaving everything on the playing field, but its conventional meaning — to give maximal effort or commitment — is a figurative, idiomatic extension not directly entailed by the constituents. This makes the expression partially guessable from the words and context (especially in sports), yet still not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Leave it all on the field comes from sports and creates a clear image of a player who literally leaves all on the field after a hard game. That's why it means 'to give all your effort'.