pull up stakes

Idioms

Move away, leave one's home, job, or country. For example, We've lived here for years, but now it's time to pull up stakes. This expression alludes to the stakes that mark property boundaries. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If you decide to pull up stakes and relocate to Southern California so your child can pursue more gigs in Hollywood, Smith said, that’s your decision and you need to own it.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2021

That was not what drove Mr. Abdullah to pull up stakes for Turkey.

From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2018

Anyone hoping to pull up stakes in favor of a prime “rural lifestyle” dwelling - perhaps someday here in Eastern Oregon - will have to wait for these issues to be resolved.

From Washington Times • Dec. 27, 2017

Two months after her son suddenly switched jobs and cities — he was traded just before this NFL season from Arizona to Baltimore — the 31-year-old was forced to pull up stakes yet again.

From Washington Post • Nov. 2, 2017

Back in my troupe, my father occasionally made us pull up stakes and leave a town despite the fact that we were welcome and the crowds were generous.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023