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Synonyms

pull

American  
[pool] / pʊl /

verb (used with object)

pulls, present (3rd person singular) pulled, past participle, past pulling present participle
  1. to draw or haul toward oneself or itself, in a particular direction, or into a particular position.

    We pulled the sled up a hill.

    She pulled the child out of the path of the swerving bicycle.

  2. to draw or tug at with force.

    To ring the bell, just pull the rope.

    Antonyms:
    push
  3. to rend or tear.

    to pull a cloth to pieces.

  4. to draw or pluck away from a place of growth, attachment, etc..

    to pull a tooth;

    to pull weeds.

  5. to strip of feathers, hair, etc., as a bird or hide.

  6. to draw out (as a knife or gun) for ready use (usually followed byon ).

    Do you know what to do when someone pulls a knife on you?

  7. Informal. to perform successfully (often followed byoff ).

    They pulled a spectacular coup.

  8. Informal. to carry out (especially something deceitful or illegal).

    Police believe the men pulled all three robberies. What kind of trick did she pull this time?

  9. to put on or affect.

    He pulled a long face when I reprimanded him.

  10. to withdraw or remove.

    to pull an ineffective pitcher.

  11. to attract or win.

    to pull many votes in the industrial areas.

  12. to bring (a horse) to a stand by pulling on the reins.

  13. Printing, Graphics. to take (an impression or proof ) from type, a cut or plate, etc..

    to pull a print.

  14. to be provided with or rowed with (a certain number of oars).

    This boat pulls 12 oars.

  15. to propel by rowing, as a boat.

  16. to strain (a muscle, ligament, or tendon).

  17. to stretch (taffy or chewing gum).

  18. Military. to be assigned (a specific task or duty).

    I pulled guard duty our first night in port.

  19. to hold in or check (a racehorse), especially so as to prevent from winning.

  20. Sports. to hit (a ball) so that it travels in a direction opposite to the side from which it was struck, as when a right-handed batter hits into left field.


verb (used without object)

pulls, present (3rd person singular) pulled, past participle, past pulling present participle
  1. to exert a drawing, tugging, or hauling force (often followed byat ).

  2. to inhale through a pipe, cigarette, etc.

  3. to become or come as specified, by being pulled.

    This rope will pull.

  4. to row.

  5. to proceed by rowing.

  6. (of an advertisement)

    1. to have effectiveness, as specified.

      The ad pulled badly.

    2. to be effective.

      That spot announcement really pulled!

noun

pulls plural
  1. the act of pulling or drawing.

  2. force used in pulling; pulling power.

  3. a drawing in of smoke or a liquid through the mouth: I took a pull from the scout's canteen.

    He took a long, thoughtful pull on his pipe.

    I took a pull from the scout's canteen.

  4. Informal. influence, as with persons able to grant favors.

  5. a part or thing to be pulled; a handle or the like.

    to replace the pulls on a chest of drawers.

  6. a spell, or turn, at rowing.

  7. a stroke of an oar.

  8. Informal. a pulled muscle.

    He missed a week's work with a groin pull.

  9. a pulling of the ball, as in baseball or golf.

  10. Informal. the ability to attract; drawing power.

  11. Informal. an advantage over another or others.

verb phrase

  1. pull off to perform successfully, especially something requiring courage, daring, or shrewdness.

    We'll be rich if we can pull the deal off.

  2. pull out

    1. to leave; depart.

      The ship pulled out of the harbor.

    2. to abandon abruptly.

      to pull out of an agreement.

  3. pull away

    1. to move or draw back or away; withdraw.

    2. to free oneself with force.

      He tried to pull away from his opponent's powerful grip.

    3. to move or start to move ahead.

      The car pulled away into traffic. The faster runners began to pull away from the others.

  4. pull for to support actively; encourage.

    They were pulling for the Republican candidate.

  5. pull in

    1. to reach a place; arrive.

      The train pulled in early.

    2. to tighten; curb.

      to pull in the reins.

    3. Informal. to arrest (someone).

      The police pulled her in for questioning.

  6. pull up

    1. to bring or come to a halt.

    2. to bring or draw closer.

    3. to root up; pull out.

      She pulled up all the crab grass in the lawn.

  7. pull down

    1. to draw downward.

      to pull a shade down.

    2. to demolish; wreck.

    3. to lower; reduce.

    4. Informal. to receive as a salary; earn.

      It wasn't long before he was pulling down more than two hundred thousand a year.

  8. pull through to come safely through (a crisis, illness, etc.); survive.

    The patient eventually pulled through after having had a close brush with death.

  9. pull over to direct one's automobile or other vehicle to the curb; move out of a line of traffic.

    The police officer told the driver to pull over.

idioms

  1. pull apart, to analyze critically, especially to point out errors.

    The professor proceeded to pull the student's paper apart.

  2. pull the plug on. plug.

  3. pull someone's leg. leg.

  4. pull oneself together, to recover one's self-control; regain command of one's emotions.

    It was only a minor accident, but the driver couldn't seem to pull himself together.

pull British  
/ pʊl /

verb

  1. (also intr) to exert force on (an object) so as to draw it towards the source of the force

  2. to exert force on so as to remove; extract

    to pull a tooth

  3. to strip of feathers, hair, etc; pluck

  4. to draw the entrails from (a fowl)

  5. to rend or tear

  6. to strain (a muscle, ligament, or tendon) injuriously

  7. informal (usually foll by off) to perform or bring about

    to pull off a million-pound deal

  8. informal (often foll by on) to draw out (a weapon) for use

    he pulled a knife on his attacker

  9. informal to attract

    the pop group pulled a crowd

  10. slang (also intr) to attract (a sexual partner)

  11. (intr; usually foll by on or at) to drink or inhale deeply

    to pull at one's pipe

    pull on a bottle of beer

  12. to put on or make (a grimace)

    to pull a face

  13. (also intr; foll by away, out, over, etc) to move (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) be moved in a specified manner

    he pulled his car away from the roadside

  14. printing to take (a proof) from type

  15. to withdraw or remove

    the board decided to pull their support

  16. sport to hit (a ball) so that it veers away from the direction in which the player intended to hit it (to the left for a right-handed player)

  17. cricket to hit (a ball pitched straight or on the off side) to the leg side

  18. hurling to strike (a fast-moving ball) in the same direction as it is already moving

  19. (also intr) to row (a boat) or take a stroke of (an oar) in rowing

  20. to be rowed by

    a racing shell pulls one, two, four, or eight oars

  21. (of a rider) to restrain (a horse), esp to prevent it from winning a race

  22. (intr) (of a horse) to resist strongly the attempts of a rider to rein in or check it

  23. slang to play a sly trick

  24. to criticize harshly

  25. informal be quiet!

    1. informal to restrain the force of one's criticisms or actions

    2. boxing to restrain the force of one's blows, esp when deliberately losing after being bribed, etc

  26. informal to do one's fair or proper share of a task

  27. informal to exercise personal influence, esp secretly or unofficially

  28. informal to make fun of, fool, or tease someone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an act or an instance of pulling or being pulled

  2. the force or effort used in pulling

    the pull of the moon affects the tides on earth

  3. the act or an instance of taking in drink or smoke

  4. something used for pulling, such as a knob or handle

  5. informal special advantage or influence

    his uncle is chairman of the company, so he has quite a lot of pull

  6. informal the power to attract attention or support

  7. a period of rowing

  8. a single stroke of an oar in rowing

  9. the act of pulling the ball in golf, cricket, etc

  10. the act of checking or reining in a horse

  11. the amount of resistance in a bowstring, trigger, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pull More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing pull


Synonym Usage

See draw.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of pull

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb pullen, Old English pullian “to pluck, pluck the feathers of, pull, tug”; compare Middle Low German pūlen “to strip off husks, pick,” Old Norse pūla “to work hard”

Explanation

To pull is to use force to drag or yank something toward you. You might pull a rolling suitcase as you run to catch your train, for example. A horse pulls a carriage, and a tow truck pulls your dead car along the highway. You can also pull the cord on the bus that signals the driver to stop, and the kid next to you might pull on your jacket to ask if he can take your seat. A magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat by grasping it and lifting, and a sad story pulls at your heart (figuratively) — it exerts a force on your emotions.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Labour wants to create a plan that would pull from existing devolution strategy and local growth policy, to allow civil servants, mayors, councils and businesses to work together more closely.

From BBC Jul. 23, 2026

“Right now, the level of energy and ability to pull in and recruit new members—the last few years has been a time of a lot more activity,” he said.

From Slate Jul. 23, 2026

It’s a busy town where there are lots of people, lots of businesses, lots of traffic, the hectic pace of modern life — but still, the desert has its pull.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

“Some companies post a deliberately broad spread to attract the widest pull of candidates, and then they see who has actually applied and benchmark the real range to that.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 22, 2026

I search for a way to pull back and be less probing.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

But that refusal to risk vulnerability comes back to bite her when the daughter she turned herself inside out to spoil pulls a move reminiscent of Veda in “Mildred Pierce,” betraying Emma for vapid reasons.

From Salon Jul. 19, 2026

As she talks, Gyu-ri reaches for her phone and pulls up an old YouTube clip of Teen Top performing No More Perfume on You.

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

People will say, “Oh, my dog hates all dogs” and then my dog pulls me over and the dog that hates all dogs just melts.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 17, 2026

Some buyers are hesitant to shop around because they’re worried about multiple “hard” credit pulls impacting their credit ratings.

From MarketWatch Jul. 17, 2026

As soon as the car pulls off, a heavy, angry rain starts to pour.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Glasgow, which hosted the event in 2014, stepped in to stage it for a second time after the Australian state Victoria pulled out due to soaring costs.

From BBC Jul. 23, 2026

The achievement isn’t lost on Jim Tracy, who became so emotional upon learning his son was named interim Red Sox manager he pulled his car to the side of the road.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 23, 2026

In 2022, she pulled off a diplomatic feat by brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Moscow and Kyiv to allow grain exports following Russia's invasion.

From Barron's Jul. 23, 2026

That unit was pulled down by lower-than-expected sales of data center mainframes, which fell 42%.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

“The door will be open already, and she’ll get pulled in alongside them.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

As a result, the company is pulling ahead some of its investments for its strategic plan so it can execute it more quickly.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

The RAC looked at the cost of pulling up at the closest point to terminals at the 20 busiest airports - 16 had put up their fees since last year.

From BBC Jul. 22, 2026

“There was so much laughter. Even on those days we were pulling hair out, we were laughing so loud,” Lacy said of his studio sessions.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

But hospital administrators have been pulling the plug on those types of arrangements.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 18, 2026

We stood up and danced away from each other, pulling on the rope at our waists, to be sure it was tight.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

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