“Go through the motions”
WorkDefinition
To do something mechanically without real interest or effort.
Examples
Examples
1 / 2“He was going through the motions at work after losing interest in the project.”
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He was going through the motions at work after losing interest in the project.Compare with the original example
He was going through the motions at work after losing interest in the project.
Write a two-line conversation using “Go through the motions”. Make the situation clear enough that a reader can infer the meaning. Then replace the idiom with a plain-English explanation: does your conversation still mean the same thing?
Check the expression in a dictionaryFrequently asked questions
- What does "Go through the motions" mean?
- "Go through the motions" means to do something mechanically without real interest or effort.
- How do you use "Go through the motions" in a sentence?
- Example: "He was going through the motions at work after losing interest in the project."
- Should I interpret "Go through the motions" word for word?
- Understand the expression as a whole. Use the definition and example to learn its meaning rather than translating each word separately.