pull the plug on
Idioms-
Discontinue, end, as in The government pulled the plug on that program . [First half of 1900s]
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Remove all life-supporting equipment, as in The family debated whether it was time to pull the plug on him . [Second half of 1900s] Although this idiom undoubtedly alludes to cutting off electricity to an electrical device, it originally referred to the removal of a stopper that flushed an old-style toilet.
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.
Now Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is fighting California regulators to pull the plug on a costly solar plant.
She pushed tax relief for wildfire victims in Sacramento, only to abruptly pull the plug on her bill.
From Los Angeles Times
Should McLaren pull the plug on Oscar Piastri to focus on Norris, and if they did, when?
From BBC
If the face-off persists, that may just force enough viewers to pull the plug on Google.
From Slate
Don’t pull the plug on your life here quite yet.
From MarketWatch
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.
