pull through

British

verb

Also: pull round. to survive or recover or cause to survive or recover, esp after a serious illness or crisis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

a weighted cord with a piece of cloth at the end used to clean the bore of a firearm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pull through Idioms

Survive a difficult situation or illness, as in We've had to declare bankruptcy, but I'm sure we'll pull through. [Mid-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.

Platner may well pull through this in a weakened but still competitive position, while future revelations don’t land with the same punch.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

Mark said he felt very lucky to pull through.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

An ailing Carlos Alcaraz said "believing" helped him pull through one of the most demanding matches of his career to down Alexander Zverev in five epic sets and reach his first Australian Open final Friday.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

They were close to winning but unable to pull through in the biggest moments.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

And I don’t care if it takes an extra year, you’re going to pull through school.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023