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.
But for Sisu and Piper, it was time to pack up their toys and prepare to go home.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 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
"I've either got to pack up and sell up or rip all of these out so that I can stay here," she added.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
And if the quiet buzz in the dugout as we pack up and get ready to head back to the Firebus is any indication, nobody else can, either.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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.
