pack up
Britishverb
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to put (things) away in a proper or suitable place
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informal to give up (an attempt) or stop doing (something)
if you don't do your work better, you might as well pack up
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(intr) (of an engine, machine, etc) to fail to operate; break down
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engineering to use packing to adjust the height of a component or machine before it is secured in its correct position or alignment
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.
"And if the response is we can't do that, then look, we might as well just pack up our bags and go to some island in the South Pacific and wait for the apocalypse."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Under the new rules, foreign students will also now have 30 days to pack up and leave after graduation or change to a different visa category - down from the previous 60-day grace period.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
To make them want to join the world’s circus, not to let it pack up and move on, out of sight and out of mind, until it swings back through years from now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
My need to pack up and leave was usually caused by souring relationships with roommates or increasing rents.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
“So do you mean I have to pack up all my toys?”
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
