shack up
Britishverb
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Sleep together or live in sexual intimacy without being married. For example, They had been dating for two months and then decided to shack up . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
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Stay or reside with, as in I'm shacking up with my cousin till I find a place of my own . [ Slang ; first half of 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.
I hadn’t been downtown too long, so I figured I’d shack up with him for a minute.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 22, 2018
In 1968, Yarnall starred opposite Presley in “Live a Little, Love a Little” as Ellen, who memorably insists she can’t shack up with the star’s character because he’s a Sagittarius.
From Fox News • Oct. 10, 2018
The Sofie forces tempura shrimp to shack up with warring parties: avocado slices and Sriracha mayo, the ying and yang of creaminess.
From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2016
Fostering that family vibe is a major reason that Ms. Meisels and other publicists, as well as filmmakers, actors, reporters and even movie executives, have opted to shack up in private homes during Sundance.
From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2014
A strong wind could whisk the shack up into the sky, scattering it in a burst of pieces.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
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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.