get one's ass in gear
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
to start taking action or working more efficiently
Literally: to put one's buttocks into gear
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
You need to get your ass in gear if you want to meet the deadline
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “get one's ass in gear” mean?
to start taking action or working more efficiently Literally: to put one's buttocks into gear
Is “get one's ass in gear” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.