Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for pull back. Search instead for pull+back.
Synonyms

pull back

British  

verb

  1. to return or be returned to a rearward position by pulling

    the army pulled back
"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. 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
pull back Idioms  

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

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.

When gas prices hit $4 a gallon in 2022 consumers started to pull back on their spending, and talked more seriously about changing their spending habits by possibly cutting back on commuting.

From MarketWatch

And as the stock pulled back from its record close, that zone provided support in January, February and early March, until the stock broke below it on March 6.

From MarketWatch

“But if the conflict drags on, gasoline prices move even higher in the summer driving season, and stocks continue to falter, consumers could throw in the towel and start to pull back on their spending.”

From Barron's

With the federal government set to pull back significantly from lending to students, private student lenders are gearing up to fill the void.

From MarketWatch

He knelt over the raft’s edge and pulled back his hood, splashing cool water over his snout.

From Literature

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.