pull out
Britishverb
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(tr) to extract
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(intr) to depart
the train pulled out of the station
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military to withdraw or escape or be withdrawn or rescued, as from a difficult situation
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(intr)
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to draw away from the side of the road
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to draw out from behind another vehicle to overtake
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(intr) to abandon a position or situation, esp a dangerous or embarrassing one
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(foll by of) to level out or cause to level out (from a dive)
noun
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an extra leaf of a book that folds out
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a removable section of a magazine, etc
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a flight manoeuvre during which an aircraft levels out after a dive
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a withdrawal from a position or situation, esp a dangerous or embarrassing one
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Leave, depart, as in The bus pulled out at noon . [Mid-1800s]
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Withdraw from an undertaking, as in After the crash many investors pulled out of the market . [Late 1800s]
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.
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
Songer's prediction: This is a pure hit and hope from me - I need West Ham to pull out something special here.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The U.A.E. has practical reasons to pull out of OPEC.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Whatever she saw, it clearly shook her, even worse than trying to pull out the reel of silver nitrate film.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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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.