pull up stakes

Idioms  

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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pull up stakes

Or will the companies at the vanguard of American reindustrialization pull up stakes and move to states that welcome entrepreneurs?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Seeing a big brand like Nike pull up stakes, he says, “makes you wonder, what’s next?”

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2023

If you decide to pull up stakes and relocate to Southern California so your child can pursue more gigs in Hollywood, Smith said, that’s your decision and you need to own it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2021

“It might be an inconvenience for a few days of the year, but not enough to pull up stakes and leave.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 25, 2021

Back in my troupe, my father occasionally made us pull up stakes and leave a town despite the fact that we were welcome and the crowds were generous.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss