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• pull-down
  pull-down

  adjective

  designed to be pulled down for use.
• pull down
  pull down

  verb

  (tr, adverb) to destroy or demolish

pull-down

American  

[pool-doun] / ˈpʊlˌdaʊn /

adjective

1. designed to be pulled down for use.

   a pull-down bed; a desk with a pull-down front.

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pull down British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to destroy or demolish

   the old houses were pulled down

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pull down Idioms  

1. Demolish, destroy, as in They pulled down several old office buildings downtown . [Early 1500s]

2. 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]

3. Draw as wages, as in He pulled down a hefty salary . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of pull-down

First recorded in 1905–10; adj. use of verb phrase pull down

Example Sentences

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

Check the “explore issues” pull-down menu at the site.

From Washington Times • Jun. 1, 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

She chose a Nancy Drew mystery, “The Hidden Staircase,” to highlight a pull-down ladder leading to an attic in her beach house.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 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