pull-down
Americanadjective
verb
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Demolish, destroy, as in They pulled down several old office buildings downtown . [Early 1500s]
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Lower, reduce; also, depress in health or spirits. For example, The bumper wheat crop is bound to pull down prices , or The flu really pulled him down . [Late 1500s]
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Draw as wages, as in He pulled down a hefty salary . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
Etymology
Origin of pull-down
First recorded in 1905–10; adj. use of verb phrase pull down
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:
In addition to the tech stuff, the buses are decked out with seat belts, and have pull-down harnesses for little kids who still need a car seat.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2023
The competition committee is scrutinizing the “hip-drop” tackle, a pull-down from behind that led to a broken leg for Dallas running back Tony Pollard and an ankle injury to Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2023
Click on “Newsroom” in the pull-down menu, then check under the “Reports and Publications” heading.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 9, 2023
So the Mazureks added a Murphy bed — essentially a pull-down wall bed — to their living room, turning it into a space they could use as a bedroom at night.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2022
We’d sit in a small hall with a rickety projector showing some family-oriented fare on a white pull-down screen.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
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"Some of the models are starting to indicate that we'll start to pull down some smoke," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
That forces them to reduce exposure to the shares they track, which in turn threatens to pull down stock prices even more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The “swift” change in fuel costs and the impact on already fragile industry profitability is likely to force airlines to pull down supply, the analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026
Tangled up with a Georgia Southern defender, Lane needed just a single outstretched arm to pull down the Trojans’ first score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2025
Some wear black knit hats they can pull down over their faces.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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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.