get-up-and-go

noun

ˌget-ˌəp-ᵊn-ˈgō How to pronounce get-up-and-go (audio)
ˌgit-
-ᵊm-
-ᵊŋ-
Synonyms of get-up-and-gonext

Examples of get-up-and-go in a Sentence

even after her broken hip healed, Grandma never regained her get-up-and-go
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thus the coffee gods created a world of more discerning (some might say finicky) coffee connoisseurs, one where people now pay $5, $6 and more for a cup of liquid get-up-and-go. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026 In 2021, Charles, admiring Marchetti’s get-up-and-go, invited him to chair his fashion task force. John Seabrook, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 One of the ironies of the Thatcher era was that a lot of the oppositional counterculture ranged against her could be seen as a kind of ideal application of her own small-business dream: cottage industry get-up-and-go! Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 Ortega will rely on the get-up-and-go that has guided him to this point. Dave Melton, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025 For those who like things to be a bit more get-up-and-go, there's the chance to climb aboard a Mini Moke – a small but heavy-duty open-top vehicle – to tour the island. Rebekah Evans, The Week Uk, theweek, 21 Feb. 2024 The smaller engine proved well-tuned for the nuanced task of negotiating sand dunes, but the V8 offers more grunt and get-up-and-go for scenarios that call for higher torque and more output, like high-speed passes. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2023 Insulin shuttles it through the blood system into cells, giving you the get-up-and-go to play tennis, hit the gym and, or get work done. Jenna Schnuer, Fortune Well, 24 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of get-up-and-go was in 1906

Cite this Entry

“Get-up-and-go.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get-up-and-go. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.

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