to close up shop
11
3.9
- phrasal verb
:
cerrar
- After losing their main client, the business had no choice but to close up shop for good.
- just close up shop
- thinking of closing up shop
- ready to close up shop
You know, lots of print organizations have been just closing up shop.
- You know, lots of print organizations have been just closing up shop.
- Let's get some Pop Rocks in here before we close up shop.
- And so I studied with him and, and he said, Milton said to me one day, he said you'd closed up shop, you'd stopped.
Examples
-
The controversy forced Progress Kentucky to close up shop.
Academic text (2014) -
The company filed for bankruptcy six months ago, and now, it's closing up shop.
-
I was getting ready to close up shop.
-
We need to close up shop.
-
You know, maybe we should just close up shop for a while.
Fiction book (1995) -
The nation is in crisis, and they just want to close up shop and go home.
Blog text (4) -
I had said I was going to quit with this election, just close up shop here and walk away.
Blog text (21) -
Yeah, we thought about closing up shop.
-
I'm about to close up shop and go out for the evening.
-
Let's close up shop!
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To finish an event, meeting, or activity
541
2.9
Stop a machine, business, or system from working
94
2.9
To stop operating permanently, like a shop or company
44
3.5
To stop a shop or business from operating
17
4.0
To permanently stop operating as a business or organization
3
4.3
Sell all remaining stock at low prices to end a business
1
4.4
Close a shop or business and stop trading
1
5.5
Get money for all your things, often to move away or close a business
1
4.7
Close a shop for the day or forever
Antonyms
How Open
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to stop doing business' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'close' (to bring to an end) with 'shop' (place of business); the particle 'up' simply signals completion or shutting. This compositional verb + noun pattern is common in English (and has parallels in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Close up shop comes from the image of a shopkeeper pulling down shutters and locking the door to close up the shop. So, it means 'to stop doing business', either for a while or forever.