pull the plug on

1. Discontinue, end, as in The government pulled the plug on that program . [First half of 1900s]

2. 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

If the face-off persists, that may just force enough viewers to pull the plug on Google.

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Don’t pull the plug on your life here quite yet.

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Last week Mr. DeSantis announced that he would “pull the plug on the use of these H-1B visas” to hire workers at state universities.

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One month into this closure, federal employees are officially missing paychecks, air-traffic delays are mounting, and the feds will soon have to pull the plug on big benefits like food stamps.

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Direct pressure from the White House was the immediate catalyst for ABC’s decision to briefly pull the plug on Kimmel.

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