pull the rug out from under
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To suddenly withdraw support or stability from someone
Literally: removing a rug from underneath
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The company pulled the rug out from under the project by withdrawing funding
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “pull the rug out from under” mean?
To suddenly withdraw support or stability from someone Literally: removing a rug from underneath
Is “pull the rug out from under” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.