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to cash out

to cash out

1 6.0
To leave a demanding job or lifestyle to live more simply
  • phrasal verb
  • /kæʃ aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : retirarse
  • I called all the people who owed me money, I sold my car, I cashed out my 401K, and I sold everything that I could.

Examples

  • Arce is old, just like Nishioka, and looking to cash out one more time.

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  • Yet if she has stock that she can cash out in order to buy a new home, she should be using that stock to pay off her current home, regardless of the financial downturn.

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  • You can cash out, bank the profit, and look for the next opportunity to come along.

    Blog text (21)
  • It makes sense to try to cash out the investment now.

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  • He had the perfect opportunity to cash out.

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  • I mean, I know people who sold corporations, who cashed out of major corporations when the money was incredible.

  • One wonders if the actuaries couldn't figure a plan to let willing retirees cash out of the pension plan.

    Blog text (26)
  • "One wonders if the actuaries couldn't figure a plan to let willing retirees cash out of the pension plan.

    Blog text (26)
  • She cashed out her 401(k) and ended up filing for bankruptcy, and she still struggles to pay her monthly bills.

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  • After years in the corporate world, Sarah decided to cash out and move to the countryside to start a new life.

Synonyms

to cash in one's chips
vsto cash out
  • Informal
1 7.9

To stop working and take the money or benefits available

leaves a demanding career to pursue a simpler, more fulfilling life

Antonyms

1.0

To remain in one place and not leave

22 5.1

Keep trying to do something even when it is hard

How Final

to retire
874 2.0
to cash out
  • Informal
1 6.0
to resign
  • Formal
533 3.7
to leave
1.0

Surface Forms

cash out infinitive
cashed out past
cashed out past participle
cashing out present participle
cashes out third person singular

Morphology

cash + out

The literal parts ('cash' = obtain money; 'out' = exit/away) point toward converting something to money or exiting a position, so a learner could infer an idea of ‘leaving’ or ‘exiting’ from the constituents. However, the specific nuance of quitting a demanding career to pursue a simpler or more fulfilling life is a metaphorical extension of 'cash out' (similar to 'liquidate/exit a position') and is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure is usually needed.

Etymology

The phrasal verb cash out comes from the idea of turning what you own into cash and walking out, like a gambler who 'cashes out' his chips and leaves the table. So, when someone cashes out of a job, they take their money and leave for a simpler life, which is why it now means 'to leave a demanding career or lifestyle'.