to get into one's stride
- phrasal verb
- It's when she moves on to human relationships that she really gets into her stride.
Examples
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After a few weeks in her new job, she finally got into her stride and started performing at her best.
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It took him a little while to get into his stride, but once he did, his presentations were exceptionally engaging.
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Although it was challenging at first, he eventually got into his stride during the marathon and maintained a steady pace.
Synonyms
Start performing at your best after some practice
To work smoothly and easily after a short time
To become comfortable and confident in a new job or place after some time
Antonyms
How Comfortable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'get into' (change of state) plus 'stride' (a pace or rhythm) give a recognizable image of moving into a steady, effective tempo, so learners get a partial clue from the parts. However, the leap from this literal image to the fuller sense 'become comfortable/confident and effective' is metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Get into one's stride comes from the image of a runner who needs a few steps to find a steady long step, a stride, and then moves smoothly. So when you get into your stride it means 'to become comfortable and confident' and to start doing something well.