Meaning
To start a new activity, job, or project immediately with great energy, speed, and enthusiasm, without a slow warm-up period.
It’s typically used approvingly, praising someone’s ability to become productive right away rather than needing time to adjust.
Origin
A popular story credits the phrase to soldiers, particularly WWII paratroopers, who needed to start running immediately upon landing to avoid becoming an easy target — but this military origin is widely repeated folklore rather than a documented fact. The earliest confirmed use is literal and non-military: an 1895 story titled “King of All the Liars,” printed in “The Evening News” and other American newspapers, describes someone fleeing gunfire: “I hit the ground running and squatted low down when his gun barked a second time.” This literal image of landing already in motion, without the story specifying paratroopers or any organized military maneuver, gradually broadened over the 20th century into the now-common figurative sense of starting any endeavor at full speed from the very first moment.
Examples
The new manager hit the ground running on her first day.
We need someone who can hit the ground running for this project.
He hit the ground running after months of preparation.
A: “How’s the new hire doing?” B: “Great, she hit the ground running.”
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Hit the ground running' mean?
To start a new activity, job, or project immediately with great energy, speed, and enthusiasm, without a slow warm-up period.
It’s typically used approvingly, praising someone’s ability to become productive right away rather than needing time to adjust.