to get a move on
- phrasal verb
- Informal
- Hurry up! We need to get a move on if we want to catch the bus.
- Let's get a move on
- get a move on right now
- tell someone to get a move on
So heading that way, they did say it's about two miles, so let's get a move on.
- So heading that way, they did say it's about two miles, so let's get a move on.
- I've been in that situation before where I'm like, oh, I better like, I better get a move on here.
Examples
-
Come on, Pete, get a move on.
-
"Okay, you jokers, get a move on!"
Fiction book (2002) -
We better get a move on.
-
Would you mind getting a move on?
-
Help me up, son, or we'll never get a move on.
Fiction book (1994) -
Well come on then, let's get a move on.
-
All right, let's get a move on!
-
Get a move on, girls!
-
You'd best get a move on, then.
-
We'll miss the start of the big picture if you two don't get a move on.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
To move or act quickly because there is little time
To move or act more quickly to avoid being late
To move or act quickly because a situation needs it
To hurry so you do something faster, often to avoid being late
To start doing something yourself after waiting or thinking
Start being active or hurry to do something
To move or work faster
To start working hard without delay
To move quickly in one direction
Hurry up and start doing something
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'hurry up' is partially derivable from the constituents: 'get' + 'move' suggests 'cause someone to move' (i.e. start moving), and the colloquial frame 'get a move on' parallels 'get moving', so a learner who knows the words could plausibly infer the general idea. However, the exact imperative/urgency nuance and the fixed idiomatic frame with 'a' and 'on' make the meaning not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Get a move on may come from the simple image of telling someone to get a move on and begin walking or acting right away. That's why it means 'to hurry up'.