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.
That’s when Warner’s board could pull the plug on the Paramount deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
OpenAI is planning to pull the plug on its Sora video platform, a product it released to great fanfare last year that has since fallen from public view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
If the face-off persists, that may just force enough viewers to pull the plug on Google.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2025
Don’t pull the plug on your life here quite yet.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2025
“Kasigi’s such a jerk. He spends the week partying at some fancy convention, and then comes home to pull the plug on anybody else having fun.”
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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.
