pull Hear it!

pull Definition

pull (po̵ol)

transitive verb

  1. to exert force or influence on so as to cause to move toward or after the source of the force; drag, tug, draw, attract, etc.
    1. to draw out; pluck out; extract to pull a tooth
    2. to pick or uproot to pull carrots
  3. to draw apart; rip; tear to pull a seam
  4. ☆ to stretch (taffy, etc.) back and forth repeatedly
  5. to stretch or strain to the point of injury to pull a muscle
  6. ☆ Informal to put into effect; carry out; perform to pull a raid
  7. Informal to hold back; restrain to pull one's punches
  8. Informal
    1. ☆ to take (a gun, knife, etc.) from concealment so as to threaten
    2. to take or force off or out; remove to pull a wheel from a car
  9. Dialectal to draw the entrails from (a fowl)
  10. Baseball, Golf to hit (the ball) and make it go to the left or, if left-handed, to the right
  11. Horse Racing to rein in or restrain (a horse) so as to keep it from winning
  12. Printing to take (a proof) on a hand press
  13. Rowing
    1. to work (an oar) by drawing it toward one
    2. to propel or transport by rowing

Etymology: ME pullen < OE pullian, to pluck, snatch with the fingers: ? akin to MLowG pull, a husk, shell

intransitive verb

  1. to exert force in or for dragging, tugging, or attracting something
  2. to take a deep draft of a drink or puff at a cigarette, etc.
  3. to be capable of being pulled
  4. to move or drive a vehicle (away, ahead, around, out, etc.)
  5. ☆ Football to run behind, and parallel to, the line of scrimmage, as to provide blocking for a ballcarrier: said of an offensive lineman

noun

  1. the act, force, or result of pulling; specif.,
    1. a dragging, tugging, attracting, etc.
    2. the act or an instance of rowing
    3. a drink
    4. a puff at a cigarette, etc.
    5. a difficult, continuous effort, as in climbing
    6. the force needed to move a weight, trigger, etc., measured in pounds
  2. something to be pulled, as the handle of a drawer, etc.
  3. ☆ Informal
    1. influence or special advantage
    2. drawing power; appeal

pull Related Forms

pull′er noun

pull Idioms

pull a face

pull apart

to find fault with; criticize

pull down

  1. to tear down, demolish, or overthrow
  2. to degrade; humble
  3. to reduce
  4. Informal to get (a specified wage, grade, etc.)

pull for

☆ Informal

to cheer on, or hope for success of

pull in

  1. to arrive
  2. to draw in or hold back
  3. Slang to arrest and take to police headquarters

pull off

Informal to bring about, accomplish, or perform

pull oneself together

to collect one's faculties; regain one's poise, courage, etc.

pull out

  1. ☆ to depart
  2. ☆ to withdraw or retreat
  3. ☆ to escape from a contract, responsibility, etc.
  4. Aeron. to level out from a dive or landing approach

pull over

to drive (a vehicle) to or toward the curb

pull through

Informal to get through or over (an illness, difficulty, etc.)

pull up

  1. to uproot
  2. to bring or come to a stop
    1. to drive (a vehicle) to a specified place
    2. to make (an aircraft) nose up sharply
  4. to check or rebuke

pull Synonyms

pull

n.

  1. The act of pulling

    tow, drag, haul, jerk, twitch, wrench, extraction, drawing, rending, tearing, uprooting, weeding, row, paddle; snake*, yank*.

  2. Exerted force

    work, strain, tug; see strength 1.

  3. *Influence

    leverage, sway, weight, authority; see influence 2.

pull Synonyms

pull

v.

  1. To exert force so as to move

    draw, drag, tug, haul, tow, lug, trail, attract, lure, stretch, strain, wrench, yank, tear, rend; see also draw 1.

  2. To remove by pulling

    pick, extract, uproot, pluck out; see draw 1, remove 1.

  3. To incline

    slope, tend, move toward; see lean 1.

pull is the broad, general term of this list, meaning to exert force so as to cause to move toward or after the source of the force; draw suggests a smoother, more even motion than pullhe drew his sword from its scabbard; drag implies the slow pulling of something heavy, connoting great resistance in the thing pulled she dragged the desk across the floor; tug suggests strenuous, often intermittent effort in pulling but does not necessarily connote success in moving the object I tugged at the rope to no avail; haul implies sustained effort in transporting something heavy, often mechanically to haul furniture in a truck; tow implies pulling by means of a rope or cable to tow a stalled automobile

pull Telecom Definition

In the World Wide Web, a technology that requires that the user initiate access to a Web site to download content. See also push and World Wide Web.

pull Usage Examples

Object

  • plug: He said that she pulled the plug on the first referral.
  • punch: The case study seemed to me to pull punches and skirt the really difficult issues, instead of discussing less difficult ones.
  • trigger: People are now asking us: was he entitled to pull the trigger?
  • lever: Most can still be operated by pushing buttons and pulling levers.
  • wool: Will never lift a finger unless it is to pull the wool over someone's eyes.
  • string: Just push the big orange button or pull the string.

Converse of object

exert: The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination.

Preposition: at

heartstrings: Bear knows how to tell a tale and pull at those heartstrings while still delivering a thrill every now and again.

Preposition: into

driveway: Pursued into the Hollywood suburbs, he pulls into a secluded driveway and stumbles on a mansion exuding a dilapidated grandeur.

Preposition: over

bulge: Pull over a small bulge then climb the most direct line possible to the top of the crag.

Adjective modifier

gravitational: The existence of the dark halo is inferred from its gravitational pull on the visible matter.

Adjective complement

taut: The back must be pulled as taut as possible.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • through: In hospital he was in a coma for a week, his family hoped he would pull through.
  • out: Lin has had two buyers, who have both pulled out at the last minute due to problems further down their chains.
  • over: The first three times you are pulled over in street mode, you will be released with a warning.

Followed by a transitive particle

off: I'm missing out on seeing them pull off new tricks.

Particle object:

drawbridge: This is not the time to pull up the drawbridge.

Particle object:

heist: The question is Burdett suave enough to pull off this grand heist while Stan is looking?

Preposition: in

punter: Lenders know that itâs a low interest rate that pulls in the punters so they bust a gut to out do their opposition.

Preposition: of

gravity: Rub along with friction and feel the attraction of magnets and the pull of gravity.

Browse dictionary entries near pull

  1. ‹ Pulitzer Prize
  2. ‹ Pulitzer
  3. ‹ puli
  4. ‹ pule
  5. ‹ pulchritude
  6. ‹ Pulaski
  7. ‹ pula
  8. ‹ pul
  9. ‹ pukka
  10. ‹ puke
  1. pull apart ›
  2. pull away ›
  3. pull down ›
  4. pull into ›
  5. pull off ›
  6. pull-on ›
  7. pull oneself together ›
  8. pull out ›
  9. pull over ›
  10. pull rank ›