Meaning & use
go to great lengths
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To try very hard and do much more than usual in order to achieve something.
Grammar: Often followed by to + verb: she went to great lengths to help us.
Patterns
- go to great lengths to do something
- go to great lengths for someone
- go to considerable lengths to do something
The company went to great lengths to keep its customers happy.
She went to great lengths to find the original owner of the lost wallet.
Parents often go to great lengths to give their children a good education.
phraseidiom
To make an unusual or extreme effort, sometimes more than seems reasonable.
Grammar: Can suggest criticism when the effort seems excessive: he went to great lengths to hide the truth.
Patterns
- go to great lengths to avoid something
- go to great lengths to hide something
He went to great lengths to avoid meeting his old boss.
They went to great lengths to keep the surprise party secret.
Common combinations
- go to great lengths to help
- The volunteers went to great lengths to help the flood victims.
- go to great lengths for someone
- She would go to great lengths for her closest friends.
- go to great lengths to ensure
- The organizers went to great lengths to ensure everyone's safety.
- go to great lengths to avoid
- He went to great lengths to avoid any publicity.
- go to considerable lengths
- The museum went to considerable lengths to restore the painting.
Synonyms and how they differ
- make every effort
- Make every effort is more neutral and formal; go to great lengths adds a sense of unusual or impressive effort.
- bend over backwards
- Bend over backwards is informal and stresses being extremely accommodating to someone, while go to great lengths focuses on effort toward a goal.
- spare no expense
- Spare no expense specifically means spending a lot of money; go to great lengths can involve time, money, or any kind of effort.
Opposites
Word family
- length noun
- The distance from one end to the other; also used in phrases about the extent of effort.
Commonly confused: go to great lengths or go to any lengths? go to great lengths or go the extra mile?
go to great lengths vs go to any lengths
Go to any lengths means being willing to do anything, even something wrong; go to great lengths simply means making a big effort.
go to great lengths vs go the extra mile
Go the extra mile means doing a little more than expected; go to great lengths suggests a much larger, sometimes extreme effort.
Practice
Which sentence uses "go to great lengths" correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means making a huge effort, so practicing for hours fits. The other options use "lengths" in a literal measurement sense, which the fixed phrase does not allow.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “go to great lengths”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.