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

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

Last month, The Times reported that firefighters had complained that the ground was still smoldering but they were ordered by a battalion chief on Jan. 2 to pack up their hoses and leave the burn area anyway.

From Los Angeles Times

"I immediately went back to pack up my things," the 66-year-old resident said.

From BBC

Related Words

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