pull
pull (po̵ol)
transitive verb
- 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.
- to draw out; pluck out; extract to pull a tooth
- to pick or uproot to pull carrots
- to draw apart; rip; tear to pull a seam
- ☆ to stretch (taffy, etc.) back and forth repeatedly
- to stretch or strain to the point of injury to pull a muscle
- ☆ Informal to put into effect; carry out; perform to pull a raid
- Informal to hold back; restrain to pull one's punches
- Informal
- ☆ to take (a gun, knife, etc.) from concealment so as to threaten
- to take or force off or out; remove to pull a wheel from a car
- Dialectal to draw the entrails from (a fowl)
- Baseball, Golf to hit (the ball) and make it go to the left or, if left-handed, to the right
- Horse Racing to rein in or restrain (a horse) so as to keep it from winning
- Printing to take (a proof) on a hand press
- Rowing
- to work (an oar) by drawing it toward one
- 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
- to exert force in or for dragging, tugging, or attracting something
- to take a deep draft of a drink or puff at a cigarette, etc.
- to be capable of being pulled
- to move or drive a vehicle (away, ahead, around, out, etc.)
- ☆ Football to run behind, and parallel to, the line of scrimmage, as to provide blocking for a ballcarrier: said of an offensive lineman
noun
- the act, force, or result of pulling; specif.,
- a dragging, tugging, attracting, etc.
- the act or an instance of rowing
- a drink
- a puff at a cigarette, etc.
- a difficult, continuous effort, as in climbing
- the force needed to move a weight, trigger, etc., measured in pounds
- something to be pulled, as the handle of a drawer, etc.
- ☆ Informal
- influence or special advantage
- drawing power; appeal
Related Forms:
- puller pull′er noun
pull a face
pull apart
pull down
- to tear down, demolish, or overthrow
- to degrade; humble
- to reduce
- Informal to get (a specified wage, grade, etc.)
pull for
☆ Informalpull in
- to arrive
- to draw in or hold back
- Slang to arrest and take to police headquarters
pull off
pull oneself together
pull out
- ☆ to depart
- ☆ to withdraw or retreat
- ☆ to escape from a contract, responsibility, etc.
- Aeron. to level out from a dive or landing approach
pull over
pull through
pull up
- to uproot
- to bring or come to a stop
- to drive (a vehicle) to a specified place
- to make (an aircraft) nose up sharply
- to check or rebuke
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
| Topic | Replies | Latest Post |
|---|---|---|
| Pull One's Leg | 3 | 4 years ago |
| Pull the other one | 23 | 6 years ago |
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