an exercise consisting of chinning oneself, as on a horizontal bar attached at each end to a doorpost.
a flight maneuver in which an aircraft climbs sharply from level flight.
(tr) to remove by the roots
to move level (with) or ahead (of) or cause to move level (with) or ahead (of), esp in a race
to stop
(tr) to rebuke
an exercise in which the body is raised up by the arms pulling on a horizontal bar fixed above the head
old-fashioned a roadside café
Stop or cause to stop, as in He pulled up his horse , or They pulled up in front of the door . [Early 1600s]
Catch up, advance in relation to others, as in a race. For example, She was behind at the start, but she quickly pulled up . [Late 1800s] Also see pull oneself up by one's bootstraps .
First recorded in 1850–55; noun use of verb phrase pull up
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So what happens if a Woodbridge football player challenges her to a pull-up contest?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
As long as Hegseth keeps his chest-thumping and pull-up contests in the land of make-believe, these men are happy.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
Air Force, some members of which strolled around the event uniformed and at booths hosting pull-up challenges and recruitment efforts near the food vendors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2025
That was during lockdown and his home gym consisted of a pull-up bar, a few weights, and a plastic bench in his garage.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2025
It was like trying to do a pull-up wearing lead shoes.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
“It’s moving so fast on my Instagram right now that my analytics will not pull up the correct numbers,” Lamb said of her post.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
A grill can be more than the place where dinner happens; it can become the center of the party, giving everyone a reason to pull up a chair, put down their phone and get involved.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
“I want people to pull up dressed as chefs,” Díaz says.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
"It's a concern. We've had cops pull up for minor things and everybody freaks out because today, even if you have your papers -- which they all do -- anything can happen," the 20-year-old said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
The dogs were barking and trying to pull up their stakes.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
No big deal: some pull-ups, some push-ups, a few squats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
She also included an audio clip from a “Rocky” movie over a montage of her skiing, doing pull-ups, lifting weights — and vomiting into a bucket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
It’s in service of crank conspiracy theories, quack wellness influencers and weird dystopian visions of supermen doing pull-ups to demonstrate their patriotism.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025
In another, he answers questions in military fatigues before performing a series of pull-ups in a gym.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2024
Using muscles I’d honed through hundreds of push-ups and pull-ups, I heaved myself upward toward safety.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
