First recorded in 1915–20; noun, adj. use of verb phrase pull on
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Apple, which also has a fair amount of pull on the S&P 500 and Dow, gained 1.2% and hit its first closing high since Dec. 2.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
"Even though the material itself isn't magnetic, the existence of chiral phonons gives us these magnetic levers to pull on," said Rikard Bodin, doctoral candidate at the U and co-author of the paper.
From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026
I really did have a great rapport with them, and they would pull on my beard, and we really had a wonderful love affair.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
But only the men who happen to pull on the jersey of the national soccer team have proven themselves capable of turning tragedy from high art into national humiliation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Master was at the dining table, finishing up breakfast, and would come in any minute now to pull on his socks and shoes and take the files on the shelf and leave for work.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
