pull up stakes

1. Move away, leave one's home, job, or country. For example, We've lived here for years, but now it's time to pull up stakes. This expression alludes to the stakes that mark property boundaries. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

The comedian, who shared the news in a TikTok video Tuesday, said she pulled up stakes and jumped the pond Jan. 15 with the youngest of her five kids.

From Los Angeles Times

When Harbaugh pulled up stakes and headed for his new house, he gave Roman a stack of Rockford DVDs for film study.

From Los Angeles Times

Wadi Seeq is the sixth Bedouin village to have pulled up stakes in the last year in response to an uptick in settler attacks.

From Seattle Times

Before J. Robert Oppenheimer pulled up stakes for Los Alamos, he was just another physics professor renting a room in the Berkeley Hills.

From Los Angeles Times

About a month ago, Holzer decided to pull up stakes and move back to Billings, Mont., where he lived before moving to Seattle as a child.

From Seattle Times