pull the rug out from under

Idioms

Remove all support and assistance from, usually suddenly. For example, Stopping his allowance pulled the rug out from under him, forcing him to look for a job. This metaphoric term alludes to pulling on a rug a person is standing on so that he or she falls. [Mid-1900s]

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.

Should the world ease off on its purchases, that could pull the rug out from under China’s economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

This masterful twist left everyone thinking Smithy had said yes… only to pull the rug out from under us.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2024

“We can’t just pull the rug out from under them.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2023

"My Old School" does pull the rug out from under some of the folks at Bearsden who were fooled by Brandon's scam, which is both satisfying and rather sad.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2022

Even if she still didn’t completely trust Valley, and part of her felt she would pull the rug out from under her at any moment, Seven was glad to have Valley on her team.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023