set the pace
verb1
To establish the speed for a group to move at, for example in a race.
2
Idiomatic To establish a common goal by example.
- In May 2003, South Africa set the pace by banning thin plastic bags and imposing a tax on thick ones.
- OpenAI, which ignited the boom, continues to set the pace in many ways. Usage of ChatGPT more than doubled, to 10% of the world’s population.2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time:
- Related terms
- set the tone