Meaning & use
pull up stakes
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Meaning
phraseidiom
to leave a place and move somewhere else, usually permanently
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; it does not take an object: They pulled up stakes and left.
Patterns
- pull up stakes and move
- pull up stakes from somewhere
After twenty years in the same town, my parents decided to pull up stakes and move closer to the coast.
The company pulled up stakes from its old office and relocated to a bigger city.
When the factory closed, many families had to pull up stakes and look for work elsewhere.
Word forms
| past tense | pulled up stakes |
|---|---|
| past participle | pulled up stakes |
| -ing form | pulling up stakes |
Common combinations
- pull up stakes and move
- They pulled up stakes and moved to another state for a new job.
- pull up stakes from somewhere
- The family pulled up stakes from their hometown after the flood.
- decide to pull up stakes
- After the divorce, she decided to pull up stakes and start over.
- be ready to pull up stakes
- With the lease ending, they were ready to pull up stakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- move away
- This is a plain, neutral phrase; 'pull up stakes' is more idiomatic and often suggests a permanent, decisive departure.
- relocate
- This is more formal and often used for companies or official moves; 'pull up stakes' is informal and personal.
- uproot
- This emphasizes the difficulty of leaving home and starting again; 'pull up stakes' is more neutral about the emotional cost.
Opposites
Word family
- stake noun
- a pointed post driven into the ground; the idiom comes from pulling these out before moving.
Commonly confused: pull up stakes or pull up?
pull up stakes vs pull up
This can mean to stop a vehicle or to do pull-ups for exercise; 'pull up stakes' is only about leaving a place.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pull up stakes' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Pull up stakes' is an intransitive idiom, so it does not take a direct object like 'their old house' or a prepositional phrase like 'to the new city.' Option B uses it correctly with 'and moved.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pull up stakes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.