pack up

phrasal verb

packed up; packing up; packs up

1

: to gather one's belongings together and put them in a suitcase or other container for traveling

He packed up and left town.

2

British, informal : to stop or quit

She packs up when things become difficult.

3

British, informal : to stop working properly

The lift has packed up, so you'll have to take the stairs to her flat.

Examples of pack up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The big holiday dinner is over, and everyone is packing up to leave. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025

But many of the civilians were packing up and heading to Goma. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

The holiday season often means packing up the car or booking a flight to visit loved ones. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Nov. 2025

Mornings begin early with tent chores—brushing off ice, melting snow for water, warming gear—before adventurers pack up and begin the long days of travel. —Alexandra Gillespie, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for pack up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup