Determination & Hard Work: English Vocabulary List

to perform, behave, or do something extremely well, particularly in a competitive situation

"He gave a good account of himself."

"She gave a good account of herself, winning the competition easily."

to continuously put a lot of effort into doing something

"Keep nose to grindstone."

"To achieve her academic goals, she had to keep her nose to the grindstone and study diligently every evening."

to do something in a very serious and determined manner without showing mercy

"He plays for keeps."

"She plays for keeps, never giving up until she wins."

to be in such a bad situation that it does not matter if one fails at something, because one's situation cannot get worse

"I had nothing to lose, so I tried."

"The desperate man had nothing to lose so he took a huge risk and succeeded."

to start something in a very energetic and determined manner

"You need to put your shoulder to the wheel."

"If we all put our shoulder to the wheel we can finish this project before the deadline."

to continue functioning despite being extremely tired

"He runs on fumes."

"She runs on fumes, working all night without sleep."

to have a strong desire to achieve or do something

"She set her heart on that car."

"She has set her heart on becoming a doctor even though it requires many years of difficult study."

to do whatever one can in order to achieve what one desires

"She will stop at nothing to succeed."

"The ambitious politician will stop at nothing to win the election including lying and cheating."

to continue trying to succeed regardless of difficulties or challenges

"Hang in there, friend."

"Even though the project was challenging, she encouraged her team to hang in there and finish it."

to be able to handle and manage a situation or thing successfully

"I'll get on top."

"She was determined to get on top of her workload before the deadline."

to stop at nothing to obtain or do something

"I would give my right arm to see that concert."

"I would give my right arm to travel to Japan because it has always been my biggest dream destination."

used to show how extremely determined someone is to do something

"I will finish this if it is the last thing I do."

"She vowed to clear her name if it was the last thing she did."

in a way that finalizes and completes the matter at hand

"Let's settle this argument once and for all."

"We need to settle this argument once and for all so we can finally move forward peacefully."

the ability to hide one's emotions and seem calm in unpleasant or difficult situations

"She had a stiff upper lip."

"Despite the bad news, he maintained a stiff upper lip and showed no outward signs of distress."

used to say that preventing someone from doing something is not possible because of their determination

"Once she decides something, there is no stopping her."

"He was determined to reach the summit — there was simply no holding him back once his mind was made up."

to manage to finish the most important or most difficult part of something, particularly a task

"We broke the back of the project."

"We have broken the back of the project and the rest will be easy to finish."

used to refer to someone who has made their decision and is not about to let anyone or anything stop them

"He is like a dog with a bone."

"The detective worried at the case like a dog with a bone until he solved it."

to encourage someone to start doing the most difficult or unpleasant task, rather than avoiding or postponing it

"He ate that frog."

"She ate that frog, finishing the hardest task first."

to work as hard as one can to achieve a particular result

"She will break her back."

"He had to break his back working two jobs to support his family."

to devote much time and effort with optimism to accomplish a goal

"She put her heart and soul into the performance."

"The artist put her heart and soul into the painting which took her six months to finish."

to finish something that is left unfinished

"We need to tie up loose ends."

"Before moving to a new city I need to tie up loose ends like cancelling my gym membership."

to make an attempt to do something better or faster than others

"Step on the gas, we are late."

"We are going to be late so please step on the gas and drive faster."