Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

go through the motions

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables: go through the -mo-tions
IPA

32

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

3

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To do something in a mechanical, unreflective manner, especially as a matter of routine and without commitment or enthusiasm; to perform a task perfunctorily.

Example Sentences

"Aleck was a Christian from the cradle, and duty and the force of habit required her to go through the motions."
"They went through the motions of living, but they didn't live."
"In screening an adviser, these should be your goals: —To determine whether he or she cares about helping clients or just goes through the motions […]"
"The whole "weapons of mass destruction" concern was phony from the start, and the drama about inspections was just kabuki: going through the motions."

Inflected Forms

goes through the motions (present, singular) going through the motions (participle, present) went through the motions (past) gone through the motions (participle, past)

Frequently Paired Words

autopilot

Questions

What does go through the motions mean?: To do something in a mechanical, unreflective manner, especially as a matter of routine and without commitment or enthusiasm; to perform a task perfunctorily.

How to pronounce go through the motions

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “go through the motions”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “go through the motions”.
Repeat and practice — Say “go through the motions” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.