pull out all the stops
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
pull out all the stops
- /ˈpʊl‿aʊt‿ɔːl ðə ˈstɒps/ UK
- /ˈpʊl‿aʊt‿ɔl ðə ˈstɑps/ US
- /ˈpʊl‿aʊt‿ɑl ðə ˈstɑps/ US, cot caught merger
Rhymes with -ɒps
Where it comes from
An allusion to organ stops, which are pulled out to turn on each set of sounds in a pipe organ. When all stops are pulled out, the organ will play all variations of its sounds at once, therefore being as loud as possible.
verb pulls out all the stops · pulling out all the stops · pulled out all the stops · pull out all stops
-
To hold back or reserve nothing.
They pulled out all the stops for the gala wedding.
Similar: empty the tank, give one's all, go all out, go balls to the wall, go the whole nine yards, go up to eleven, open the floodgates
Translations
Every language
verb to hold back or reserve nothing
Talk about this word "pull out all the stops." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pull%20out%20all%20the%20stops. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pull out all the stops. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pull%20out%20all%20the%20stops "pull out all the stops." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pull%20out%20all%20the%20stops.Cite this
@misc{pull_out_all_the_stops_2026,
title = {pull out all the stops},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pull%20out%20all%20the%20stops},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
