pull
Americanverb (used with object)
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pulls,
present (3rd person singular)
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pulled,
past participle, past
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pulling
present participle
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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.
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to draw or tug at with force.
To ring the bell, just pull the rope.
- Antonyms:
- push
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to rend or tear.
to pull a cloth to pieces.
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to draw or pluck away from a place of growth, attachment, etc..
to pull a tooth;
to pull weeds.
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to strip of feathers, hair, etc., as a bird or hide.
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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?
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Informal. to perform successfully (often followed byoff ).
They pulled a spectacular coup.
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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?
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to put on or affect.
He pulled a long face when I reprimanded him.
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to withdraw or remove.
to pull an ineffective pitcher.
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to attract or win.
to pull many votes in the industrial areas.
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to bring (a horse) to a stand by pulling on the reins.
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Printing, Graphics. to take (an impression or proof ) from type, a cut or plate, etc..
to pull a print.
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to be provided with or rowed with (a certain number of oars).
This boat pulls 12 oars.
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to propel by rowing, as a boat.
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to strain (a muscle, ligament, or tendon).
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to stretch (taffy or chewing gum).
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Military. to be assigned (a specific task or duty).
I pulled guard duty our first night in port.
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to hold in or check (a racehorse), especially so as to prevent from winning.
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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)
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pulls,
present (3rd person singular)
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pulled,
past participle, past
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pulling
present participle
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to exert a drawing, tugging, or hauling force (often followed byat ).
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to inhale through a pipe, cigarette, etc.
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to become or come as specified, by being pulled.
This rope will pull.
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to row.
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to proceed by rowing.
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(of an advertisement)
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to have effectiveness, as specified.
The ad pulled badly.
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to be effective.
That spot announcement really pulled!
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noun
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pulls
plural
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the act of pulling or drawing.
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force used in pulling; pulling power.
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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.
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Informal. influence, as with persons able to grant favors.
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a part or thing to be pulled; a handle or the like.
to replace the pulls on a chest of drawers.
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a spell, or turn, at rowing.
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a stroke of an oar.
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Informal. a pulled muscle.
He missed a week's work with a groin pull.
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a pulling of the ball, as in baseball or golf.
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Informal. the ability to attract; drawing power.
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Informal. an advantage over another or others.
verb phrase
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pull off to perform successfully, especially something requiring courage, daring, or shrewdness.
We'll be rich if we can pull the deal off.
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pull out
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to leave; depart.
The ship pulled out of the harbor.
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to abandon abruptly.
to pull out of an agreement.
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pull away
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to move or draw back or away; withdraw.
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to free oneself with force.
He tried to pull away from his opponent's powerful grip.
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to move or start to move ahead.
The car pulled away into traffic. The faster runners began to pull away from the others.
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pull for to support actively; encourage.
They were pulling for the Republican candidate.
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pull in
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to reach a place; arrive.
The train pulled in early.
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to tighten; curb.
to pull in the reins.
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Informal. to arrest (someone).
The police pulled her in for questioning.
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pull up
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to bring or come to a halt.
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to bring or draw closer.
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to root up; pull out.
She pulled up all the crab grass in the lawn.
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pull down
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to draw downward.
to pull a shade down.
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to demolish; wreck.
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to lower; reduce.
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Informal. to receive as a salary; earn.
It wasn't long before he was pulling down more than two hundred thousand a year.
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pull through to come safely through (a crisis, illness, etc.); survive.
The patient eventually pulled through after having had a close brush with death.
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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
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pull apart, to analyze critically, especially to point out errors.
The professor proceeded to pull the student's paper apart.
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pull the plug on. plug.
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pull someone's leg. leg.
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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.
verb
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(also intr) to exert force on (an object) so as to draw it towards the source of the force
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to exert force on so as to remove; extract
to pull a tooth
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to strip of feathers, hair, etc; pluck
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to draw the entrails from (a fowl)
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to rend or tear
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to strain (a muscle, ligament, or tendon) injuriously
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informal (usually foll by off) to perform or bring about
to pull off a million-pound deal
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informal (often foll by on) to draw out (a weapon) for use
he pulled a knife on his attacker
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informal to attract
the pop group pulled a crowd
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slang (also intr) to attract (a sexual partner)
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(intr; usually foll by on or at) to drink or inhale deeply
to pull at one's pipe
pull on a bottle of beer
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to put on or make (a grimace)
to pull a face
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(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
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printing to take (a proof) from type
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to withdraw or remove
the board decided to pull their support
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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)
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cricket to hit (a ball pitched straight or on the off side) to the leg side
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hurling to strike (a fast-moving ball) in the same direction as it is already moving
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(also intr) to row (a boat) or take a stroke of (an oar) in rowing
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to be rowed by
a racing shell pulls one, two, four, or eight oars
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(of a rider) to restrain (a horse), esp to prevent it from winning a race
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(intr) (of a horse) to resist strongly the attempts of a rider to rein in or check it
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slang to play a sly trick
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to criticize harshly
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informal be quiet!
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informal to restrain the force of one's criticisms or actions
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boxing to restrain the force of one's blows, esp when deliberately losing after being bribed, etc
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informal to do one's fair or proper share of a task
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informal to exercise personal influence, esp secretly or unofficially
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informal to make fun of, fool, or tease someone
noun
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an act or an instance of pulling or being pulled
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the force or effort used in pulling
the pull of the moon affects the tides on earth
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the act or an instance of taking in drink or smoke
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something used for pulling, such as a knob or handle
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informal special advantage or influence
his uncle is chairman of the company, so he has quite a lot of pull
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informal the power to attract attention or support
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a period of rowing
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a single stroke of an oar in rowing
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the act of pulling the ball in golf, cricket, etc
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the act of checking or reining in a horse
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the amount of resistance in a bowstring, trigger, etc
Synonym Usage
See draw.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pullsimple
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pullssimple
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have pulledperfect
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has pulledperfect
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am pullingprogressive
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are pullingprogressive
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is pullingprogressive
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have been pullingperfect progressive
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has been pullingperfect progressive
Past
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pulledsimple
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had pulledperfect
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was pullingprogressive
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were pullingprogressive
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had been pullingperfect progressive
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.
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:
By detecting extremely small differences in the gravitational pull of rock and ice, the researchers developed a new way to create a 3D image of the hidden ice within a large rock glacier.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
“We decided to pull the trigger, thinking we won’t be able to do this for much longer.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Other analysts are skeptical he can pull it off, and many don’t think he’ll even try.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
"We need to pull that together, we need to think about why it's important, what it's telling us."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Seeing as you just told me to pull it from your pocket, I had an inkling,” he says flatly.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
“But there is a risk his comments are deemed not strong enough on tackling inflation, which pulls the USD down,” Clifton adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Gravity is best known as the force that pulls objects toward Earth, but its role extends far beyond falling apples.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
But I’m blown away by how “It Ends” reaches into the abyss of contemporary living and pulls out something tangible for us to chew on.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
"These moments everybody kind of pulls together," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Folding it over his head, he grabs his elbow with his left hand and pulls it down for a deep stretch of his triceps.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Data-center construction is one of the factors behind a trucking boom that has pulled the industry out of a freight recession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
O'Sullivan pulled one back but breaks of 69 and 48 in the following frames booked Chang a place in Saturday's final - and his very first win against 'The Rocket'.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
One recent morning, four county cars pulled out of that motel on Sierra Highway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ultimately, the deal between the PGA Tour and PIF never materialized, and the Saudis pulled out of LIV this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Glenn shrugged and pulled a mouthful of nails out of his overalls.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
“If you’re just pulling everyone together to say this is kind of crazy and we don’t know yet what it means, that’s not helpful to anyone.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Consumer movements have sought to stop publishers pulling the plug on games they decide are no longer worth keeping online.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
A bad market at age 70, when you’re pulling money out of your accounts, is permanent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Despite her spirited defence, jewellery company Giva announced on Wednesday it was pulling the ad.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Professor Brown finished pulling the electrical sensors off my arms and legs, and I barely flinched as the sticky pads yanked out my arm and leg hair.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
