the jig is up
idiom
US, informal + old-fashioned
—used to say that a dishonest plan or activity has been discovered and will not be allowed to continue
The jig is up: where did you hide the stolen goods?
Examples of the jig is up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the jig is up when a student loudly tries to return his copy of the illicit material while Crystal is volunteering in the library.
—
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
America is at the start of the third act now, where the jig is up but things haven’t yet wound down.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 13 July 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
America is at the start of the third act now, where the jig is up but things haven’t yet wound down.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 13 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“The jig is up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20jig%20is%20up. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share