Meanings
present singular third person pulls the plug · participle present pulling the plug · participle past pulled the plug · past pulled the plug
- informalintransitiveTo turn off life support.
- informalintransitiveTo commit suicide.
1981, The Jim Carroll Band, People Who Died Cathy was eleven when she pulled the plug / On twenty-six reds and a bottle of wine
1 more example
"The Times said it was suicide," said Knight. "He burned himself out. There wasn't anything left." The Dean leveled his eyes at Reid, searching for more, wanting more, not wanting more, and Reid continued, "So he pulled the plug." "Pulled the plug? The paper said it was cyanide," his voice filled with curiosity.
2007, Lee Stockdale, Murder of Law, page 118 - informalintransitiveTo cease to support; to halt.
It's a wonder the director didn't pull the plug on that project months ago.
2 more examples
"We have a deal that stopped me pulling the plug on services. But only just. I was hours from having to stop the Underground and buses from running in this, the greatest city on Earth. How insane is that? How could that even be allowed to happen? "I waited until five to midnight on the day when I would have had to pull the plug for the next day, before I got the letter from the Government on an interim funding settlement.
2020 July 15, Mike Brown talks to Paul Clifton, “Leading London's "hidden heroes"”, in Rail, pages 42–43In his statement, he said he wanted to continue the tour, to avoid letting down fans and the crew who rely on his concerts to make a living. If he had threatened to pull the plug on the shows, he could have framed it as a protest for free speech - although that would still inevitably have been interpreted as an endorsement of Macklemore's statements. So, Sheeran stumbled into a Catch 22 situation. He was damned either way.
2026 September 16, Mark Savage, BBC - informalintransitiveTo cease production or publication.
Translations
Danish trække stikket
- trække stikketunplug, cut power — see also unplug
Finnish katkaista virta, lakkauttaa
- katkaista virtaunplug, cut power — see also unplug
- lakkauttaacease to support, halt
- lopettaacease to support, halt
French débrancher la prise
- débrancher la prisecease to support, halt
German den Stecker ziehen, den Garaus machen
- den Stecker ziehenunplug, cut power — see also unplug
- den Garaus machencease to support, halt
- den Stecker ziehencease to support, halt
Italian staccare la spina
- staccare la spinacease to support, halt
Korean 플러그를 뽑다
- 플러그를 뽑다 (peulleogeureul ppopda)unplug, cut power — see also unplug
Māori koti
- kotiunplug, cut power — see also unplug
Norwegian Bokmål trekke ut proppen, trekke ut kontakten
- trekke ut proppenunplug, cut power — see also unplug
- trekke ut kontaktenunplug, cut power — see also unplug
- trekke ut kontaktencease to support, halt
Polish przestawać wspierać, przestać wspierać
- przestawać wspieraćcease to support, halt
- przestać wspieraćcease to support, halt
- zatrzymywaćcease to support, halt
- zatrzymaćcease to support, halt
Romanian scoate din priză
- scoate din prizăunplug, cut power — see also unplug
Welsh tynnu plwg
- tynnu plwgunplug, cut power — see also unplug
Cite this entry
pull the plug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20the%20plug
“pull the plug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20the%20plug. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull the plug,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20the%20plug.
Source: pull the plug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.