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.
The all-clear sounds at 2:27 a.m., and people along the platform begin to pack up their belongings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Maybe those comments, which received considerable coverage in Canada, were not the proximate cause for Carney's diplomats to pack up and go home over the weekend.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In contrast, it would be difficult for Paramount to pack up its operations because it depends on producers, directors, writers and stars to make its TV shows and movies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
But for Sisu and Piper, it was time to pack up their toys and prepare to go home.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
