pull out

British  

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 military to withdraw or escape or be withdrawn or rescued, as from a difficult situation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

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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

pull out Idioms  

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

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

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Example Sentences

"The defendant's response to those messages was not to pull out of what he was doing. Not to stop."

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

The charter carrier World2Fly became the latest to pull out, ending its Madrid-Havana route with a final flight earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

There are going to be certain things that I may even have to pull out of his own closet.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

The 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus prompted Greece to pull out, while tensions between Georgia and Moscow and the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan have also left their mark.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

I pull out the bar of soap I was given at the training camp, and she points to a corner of the house that has been turned into a small washroom.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

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