pack up

British  

verb

1. to put (things) away in a proper or suitable place

2. informal to give up (an attempt) or stop doing (something)

   if you don't do your work better, you might as well pack up

3. (intr) (of an engine, machine, etc) to fail to operate; break down

4. engineering to use packing to adjust the height of a component or machine before it is secured in its correct position or alignment

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Example Sentences

The owners who pack up their teams and leave are forever villains in their old markets.

From Los Angeles Times

“We haven’t had any clients close down and pack up to the U.S.,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a result, projects often come, only to pack up when funding runs out.

From The Wall Street Journal

But this is unlikely to compel hundreds of thousands to pack up.

From BBC

People making $1 million-plus a year move only half as often: Just 2.4% of them pack up each year.

From Salon

Related Words

• abandon
• depart
• desert
• discharge
• displace
• expel
• leave
• move out
• pull out
• remove
• vacate
• withdraw