Meaning
Proceeding, or an instruction to proceed, with maximum speed, effort, and commitment and without hesitation or reservation; often an exclamation or announcement that a plan is going ahead at full tilt. Suggests unstoppable momentum rather than mere continuation. Energetic and upbeat; standard in announcements, journalism, and business talk. Regional use: General English.
Origin
It began as a literal order of the steamship era, sent from the bridge to the engine room to run the engines at full power ahead. It is popularly welded to Admiral David Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864 - 'Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!' - but historians note that the familiar compact wording is a later compression of what he actually said ('Damn the torpedoes... Four bells... go ahead... full speed'), and contemporary accounts of his exact words varied. The steam form is an alternative to 'full speed ahead', whose earliest dated citation in Wiktionary is from 1918; figurative use for all-out effort became common in the 20th century, so no crisp first figurative date can be given.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- full speed ahead
- full-steam-ahead (used as a modifier before a noun)
Usage Examples
- With funding finally secured, the vaccine trial went full steam ahead.
- The board gave the festival full steam ahead, so bookings open on Monday.
- She was full steam ahead on the redesign, sketching new layouts before the meeting had even ended.