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Glite Dictionary
on the right track

on the right track

55 3.7
You are making good progress toward the right result
  • idiom
: ir por buen camino
  • After several discussions, I believe we are finally on the right track to solve this problem.
  • keep us on the right track
  • help keep us on the right track
  • know we are on the right track

You're you're on the right track from a spelling standpoint.

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Examples

  • My life was on the right track.

    Don't Give Up (2021)

  • I'm not great at it yet, but I feel like I'm on the right track with this.

  • We need to get this country on the right track, and we need to do it fast.

  • And it's just it really, I think sets your mind on the right track for your day.

  • So, that actually means that we're on the right track.

    Trigger Man (2007)

  • With all due respect, I think we're on the right track.

    The Siege (1998)

  • I maintain that we are on the right track.

    Octaman (1971)

  • When you are showing improvement, you are on the right track and need to be patient.

    Blog text (11)

  • Speaker, Britain is on the right track and turning back now would be a disaster.

  • I think the coalition is on the right track in trying to build new relations with China and India.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

on track
vson the right track
314 3.4

Moving forward as planned to reach a goal

emphasizes using the correct approach rather than just following a plan
to stay on track
vson the right track
14 3.2

To focus on a goal without getting distracted

describes steady correct progress rather than the act of maintaining focus
on course
vson the right track
13 3.8

Moving forward as planned to reach a goal

focuses more on being correct in action than simply following plan

Antonyms

lost
625 1.0

Confused and unsure what to do or where to go

off-track
51 4.0

Not following the planned path or topic

How On Track

succeeding
1 5.5
on the right track
55 3.7
struggling
97 3.9
off-track
51 4.0

Surface Forms

on the right track main

Morphology

on + the + right + track

The meaning 'doing the correct thing / making good progress' is directly inferable from the constituents: 'on' (location) + 'right' (correct) + 'track' (path), yielding the image of being on the correct path toward a goal. Although metaphorical, this path-for-progress mapping is frequent across languages and is immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the component words.

Etymology

The phrase on the right track comes from the image of a train on a track: if the train is on the right track, it will go to the correct place. That's why being on the right track means 'doing the correct thing' or 'making good progress' toward your goal.