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Glite Dictionary
to pull out all the stops

to pull out all the stops

17 5.2
Do everything possible to make something succeed
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer todo lo posible
  • The team decided to pull out all the stops and create an unforgettable presentation.
  • really pulled out all the stops
  • pull out all the stops for a party
  • company is pulling out all the stops

And I'll have the I really, really am just oh man, I am pulling out all the stops.

Examples

  • We need to pull out all the stops to make this event a success.

  • - You guys are really pulling out all the stops today huh?

    Super Zeroes (2012)

  • You gotta pull out all the stops to get the story.

    In the Dark Half (2012)

  • I want you to pull out all the stops on this.

    Beaches (1988)

  • Both parties are pulling out all the stops to win the state.

    Blog text (25)

  • We've pulled out all the stops to ensure the best party for the end of the year.

    Blog text (19)

  • According to The Daily Mail, Oprah and Barbara are 'pulling out all the stops' to snare her as a guest in an hour-long special.

    Blog text (16)

  • Enviros and clean-energy entrepreneurs in Washington are pulling out all the stops to get Inslee into the governor's mansion.

    Blog text (29)

  • The four candidates—Naomi D. Rivera, Mark Gjonaj, Irene Estrada-Rukaj, and Adam Bermudez—pulled out all the stops to woo voters.

    Blog text (8)

  • If we want to win the championship, we must pull out all the stops during the final game.

Synonyms

to go all out
vsto pull out all the stops
39 4.1

To try as hard as you can with a lot of energy

stresses using all resources and means rather than only energy
to go to great lengths
vsto pull out all the stops
26 4.1

Try very hard to make something happen

adds emphasis on using all resources rather than only great effort
to do what it takes
vsto pull out all the stops
18 4.8

Take any action needed to reach a goal, even when it is difficult

focuses on using all resources and measures rather than only actions
to go to the ends of the earth
vsto pull out all the stops
1 5.9

To try very hard and do anything to achieve something

aims to use all available resources and options rather than just effort
to push it to the limit
vsto pull out all the stops
  • Informal
1 7.2

Use all your energy and take big risks to test your skill

aims to exhaust all resources and options rather than testing limits
to work on all cylinders
vsto pull out all the stops
  • Informal
1 5.2

To do something with a lot of energy and good results

is about using every possible resource and action rather than only peak performance

Antonyms

to hold back
187 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

How Determined

to pull out all the stops
  • Informal
17 5.2
to go all out
39 4.1
to try
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

pull out all the stops infinitive
pulled out all the stops past
pulled out all the stops past participle
pulling out all the stops present participle
pulls out all the stops third person singular

Morphology

pull + out + all + the + stop

The overall meaning 'to do everything possible' cannot be derived from the plain meanings of 'pull', 'out', 'all' and 'stop' — the idiom refers to removing organ 'stops' (a specialized musical control) and thereby using every sound, a cultural/technical reference most B1 learners will not know. Because the crucial sense of 'stop' here is domain-specific and the metaphorical extension is not transparently predictable or widely paralleled across languages, learners who only know the constituent words will not reliably infer the idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

The idiom pull out all the stops comes from old pipe organs. When an organ player pulled the stops, more pipes opened so the sound became loud and full. So the phrase now means 'do everything possible' or 'use all available resources'.