to pull the rug out from under (someone/something)
- idiom
- The management pulled the rug out from under the entire department by announcing the closure with no warning.
Examples
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Investors felt the company pulled the rug out from under them after changing its policies overnight.
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When her partner suddenly quit the project, it really pulled the rug out from under her plans.
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The unexpected budget cuts pulled the rug out from under the team, leaving them without any resources to complete the project.
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When the government revoked the grant, it pulled the rug out from under the organization, causing its vital programs to shut down.
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Her sudden decision to leave the job pulled the rug out from under his career plans, forcing him to rethink his future.
Synonyms
87
5.5
To stop something from going on by removing support like money
7
4.3
To stop giving help and approval to a person or group
Antonyms
How Supportive
∞
1.0
7
4.3
164
7.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
pull + the + rug + out + from + under + (someone/something)
The phrase creates a clear physical image—pull + rug + out + from + under someone—that directly maps to removing support and causing someone to lose stability, so a learner who knows the constituent words can likely infer the general sense. However, the idiomatic nuance of suddenness/unexpected withdrawal and its broad abstract uses (e.g., financial or moral support) may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom pull the rug out from under comes from the image of someone standing on a rug while another person suddenly pulls it away, leaving them off balance or falling. That's why it now means 'to suddenly remove support or help', leaving someone in a difficult or unstable situation.