make the first move

make the first move (third-person singular simple present makes the first move, present participle making the first move, simple past and past participle made the first move)

1. To initiate something.

   Synonym: take the initiative

• “make the first move” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “make the first move” (US) / “make the first move” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “make the first move”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.