go the distance
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Endure an ordeal.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
PETER LINES, the 22-year - old from Leeds, booked a semi - final spot in the Benson & Hedges Championship in Glasgow last night by crushing the much - fancied Willie Thorne 5–1.
When things go badly wrong, is it best to abort the mission, cut one's losses and use the resources more effectively elsewhere, or go on trying?
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “go the distance” mean?
Endure an ordeal.
Is “go the distance” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.