noun
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the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you (syn: pulling)the pull up the hill had him breathing harder
his strenuous pulling strained his back
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the force used in pullingthe pull of the moon
the pull of the current
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special advantage or influence (syn: clout)the chairman's nephew has a lot of pull
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a device used for pulling somethinghe grabbed the pull and opened the drawer
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a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments (syn: twist, wrench)he was sidelined with a hamstring pull
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a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke) (syn: drag, puff)-
a sustained effortit was a long pull but we made it
verb
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cause to move by pulling (syn: draw)pull a sled
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direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes (syn: attract, draw, draw in, pull in)The ad pulled in many potential customers
This pianist pulls huge crowds
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move into a certain directionthe car pulls to the right
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apply force so as to cause motion towards the source of the motionpull the string gently
pull the trigger of the gun
pull your knees towards your chin
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perform an act, usually with a negative connotation (syn: commit, perpetrate)pull a bank robbery
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bring, take, or pull out of a container or from under a cover (syn: draw, get out, pull out, take out)pull out a gun
The mugger pulled a knife on his victim
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steer into a certain directionpull one's horse to a stand
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strain abnormallyI pulled a muscle in my leg when I jumped up
The athlete pulled a tendon in the competition
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cause to move in a certain direction by exerting a force upon, either physically or in an abstract sense (syn: draw)A declining dollar pulled down the export figures for the last quarter
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operate when rowing a boatpull the oars
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rein in to keep from winning a racepull a horse
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tear or be torn violently (syn: rend, rip, rive)pull the cooked chicken into strips
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hit in the direction that the player is facing when carrying through the swingpull the ball
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strip of feathers (syn: deplume, displume, pluck, tear)pull a chicken
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remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense (syn: draw out, extract, pull out, pull up, rip out, take out, tear out)pull weeds
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take sides with; align oneself with; show strong sympathy forI'm pulling for the underdog
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take awaypull the old soup cans from the supermarket shelf
Extra examples
He pulled the door open and ran out.
The cat will scratch you if you keep pulling its tail.
Make a knot in the rope and pull it tight.
Pull the baby's chair closer to the table.
She pulled the blanket over her head.
We tried pushing and pulling but couldn't get the couch to move.
Grab the end of the rope and pull as hard as you can.
We spent the morning in the garden pulling weeds.
I accidentally pulled one of the buttons off my shirt.
He pulled the plug out of the socket.
She gave the door a few hard pulls and it opened.
Give the rope a pull.
He has a lot of pull in local political circles.
Pulling the curtain aside, he looked down into the street.
Help me to pull off these muddy boots.
Phrasal verbs
pull away
— pull back or move away or backward
pull back
— pull back or move away or backward
pull down
— tear down so as to make flat with the ground
pull in
— direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
pull off
— pull or pull out sharply
pull out
— move out or away
pull over
— steer a vehicle to the side of the road
pull round
— continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.)
pull through
— continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.)
pull together
— assemble or get together
pull up
— come to a halt after driving somewhere
show more (6)
Word forms
verb
I/you/we/they: pull
he/she/it: pulls
present participle: pulling
past tense: pulled
past participle: pulled
noun
singular: pull
plural: pulls
