pull at

phrasal verb

pulled at; pulling at; pulls at

1

: to hold onto and pull (something) repeatedly

When she gets nervous, she pulls at her ear.

2

: to breathe in the smoke from (a cigarette, pipe, etc.)

He rocked back and forth, pulling at his pipe.

Examples of pull at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both struggling defenders were pulled at halftime, replaced with like-for-like alternatives (Reed Baker-Whiting and Jon Bell) who fared better in the second half. —Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 16 June 2025

Natural disasters have a way of pulling at people’s heartstrings—and their pocketbooks. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 15 June 2025

There was very little that was pulled at the last minute. —Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025

Mariska Hargitay and her husband, Peter Hermann, met on the set of 'Law & Order: SVU' Comments The cases that unfold on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit pull at audiences' heartstrings — and so do the on-screen romances. —Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for pull at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat