pullback

[ pool-bak ]
See synonyms for pullback on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of pulling back, especially a retreat or a strategic withdrawal of troops; pullout.

  2. that which pulls something back or impedes its forward movement.

  1. Machinery. a device for pulling a moving part to its original position.

Origin of pullback

1
First recorded in 1585–95; noun use of verb phrase pull back

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pullback in a sentence

  • I found I could pull back the bolts easily enough and unhook the great chains; but the door was locked, and the key was gone!

    Dracula | Bram Stoker
  • How he can scull ahead at such a speed is a mystery, and at once pull back when there is danger.

  • The manner of striking the bell was to pull back the log several feet, then let go the rope, holding the log after the rebound.

    Japanese Fairy World | William Elliot Griffis
  • Once he had a sudden inspiration to pull back his control-stick.

    'Green Balls' | Paul Bewsher
  • I almost want to pull back my head to avoid having my nose taken off.

    'Green Balls' | Paul Bewsher

British Dictionary definitions for pull back

pull back

verb(adverb)
  1. to return or be returned to a rearward position by pulling: the army pulled back

nounpullback
  1. the act of pulling back

  2. a device for restraining the motion of a mechanism, etc, or for returning it to its original position

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with pullback

pullback

Retreat, as in The troops gradually pulled back. [Mid-1500s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.