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set in motion

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set something in motion

to start something moving. The mayor set the project in motion by digging the first shovelful of soil. I cannot set the procedure in motion until I receive a purchase order.

See also: motion, set

set something in motion

also set in motion something

to start a process The recommendation could set in motion the largest cleanup in US history.

Usage notes: also used in the form put something in motion: Louisiana already has an emergency response plan, which Foster put in motion shortly after the attacks.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of set something in motion (to make something move)

See also: motion, set

set in motion

Start something moving, give impetus to something, as in A press conference set the new project in motion. It is also put as set the wheels in motion, as in Let's set the wheels in motion for the new library wing. This idiom dates from about 1800. It was preceded by put in motion, which dates from the mid-1600s.

See also: motion, set

set in motion

To give impetus to: The indictment set the judicial process in motion.

See also: motion, set