pull out

verb

1. (tr) to extract

2. (intr) to depart

   the train pulled out of the station

3. military to withdraw or escape or be withdrawn or rescued, as from a difficult situation

4. (intr)

   1. to draw away from the side of the road

   2. to draw out from behind another vehicle to overtake

5. (intr) to abandon a position or situation, esp a dangerous or embarrassing one

6. (foll by of) to level out or cause to level out (from a dive)

noun

1. an extra leaf of a book that folds out

2. a removable section of a magazine, etc

3. a flight manoeuvre during which an aircraft levels out after a dive

4. a withdrawal from a position or situation, esp a dangerous or embarrassing one

Idioms and Phrases

Leave, depart, as in The bus pulled out at noon . [Mid-1800s]

Withdraw from an undertaking, as in After the crash many investors pulled out of the market . [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Minguela and more than 20 others had been pulled out of the room and shackled.

From Los Angeles Times

"I'm not sure how we pull out of this," the politics writer David Drucker told me.

From BBC

Following the shooting, Mr Smith went into a fish and chip shop and pulled out his gun to demand a knife on his journey to the bridge, Det Sgt Dolby told the inquest.

From BBC

Queen Camilla has pulled out of attending the funeral of Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, with "deep regret", with Buckingham Palace saying she is recovering from acute sinusitis.

From BBC

The Emmy-nominated “Modern Family” and “Griselda” star decided to pull out of her awards commitments on Sunday to receive treatment for an allergic reaction.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abandon 
• depart 
• evacuate 
• exit 
• get off 
• leave 
• retire 
• retreat 
• stop 
• take off 
• withdraw