pull up stakes

verb

To prepare to move one's (usually temporary) habitation, especially rapidly.

“They just pulled up stakes and left.”

Similar
leavedepartgo forthgo away
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbpull up stakes (third-person singular simple present pulls up stakes, present participle pulling up stakes, simple past and past participle pulled up stakes)

present singular third person pulls up stakes · participle present pulling up stakes · participle past pulled up stakes · past pulled up stakes

  1. idiomaticTo prepare to move one's (usually temporary) habitation, especially rapidly.

    They just pulled up stakes and left.

    1 more example

    From the start of their strange and embattled marriage, they established a pattern of suddenly pulling up stakes with little notice to family members or neighbors.

    2006 November 30, Paul Solotaroff, “Can Nate Ybanez Ever Be FORGIVEN?”, in Rolling Stone, pages 84–128

Synonyms & antonyms

verbremove oneself from an association with or participation in

Similar
leavedepartgo forthgo away
Broader
change
Also see
departgo awaygo forthleavepull up stumps

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

German die Zelte abbrechen
  • die Zelte abbrechenprepare to move one's habitation
Italian levare le tende
  • levare le tendeprepare to move one's habitation
Cite this entry
APA

pull up stakes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20up%20stakes

MLA

“pull up stakes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20up%20stakes. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull up stakes,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20up%20stakes.

Source: pull up stakes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.