What it means
This means starting something new at full tilt and being useful straight away, not spending ages warming up or needing your hand held. You'd say it when someone joins a job, project, or role and is already cracking on from day one. It's very common in work chat, but people use it anywhere someone starts fast and sharp.
Usage examples
"New starter hit the ground running, had the spreadsheet sorted by elevenses, answered three emails, and still had time for a brew. Boss was well chuffed."
"She hit the ground running on her first day and closed two deals by lunch."
"There is no training period, you are expected to hit the ground running."
"Fair play to Priya, she hit the ground running and had the whole rota sorted before anyone else had opened Slack."
"They threw him into the new account on Monday and, somehow, he hit the ground running like he'd been there for months."
Where it comes from
This one’s been around in American English since the mid 20th century. It really took off with military use, especially the image of troops landing and moving straight away instead of stopping to get settled. That action picture stuck, so now it means starting fast and being useful from the jump.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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