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.
She told us she felt "great, consuming relief", but added she was "astounded" it had taken an external review for Channel 4 to finally pull the plug on the show.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
For a time, Quaid and Savoie were traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and Nashville, but following the 2025 California wildfires, they decided to pull the plug on life on the West Coast.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Oura is the fourth company to pull the plug on its stock offering this month.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
If the network threatened to pull the plug on a given cable operator over fee negotiations, sports-mad subscribers would practically riot in the streets!
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I’m sorry, but she needs to pull the plug on this mess right now.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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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.
