1
2
as in to pry
to draw out by force or with effort
the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tug
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
I gave the door such a pull that when it suddenly opened, I nearly fell backwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in influence
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly
their lawyer supposedly has a lot of pull with the administration in Washington
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
a political candidate with all of the pull that comes with a vast fortune and famous surname
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pull
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
In simple terms, the future sun may be less effective at pulling Earth inward than scientists previously thought.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
Finance became the center of the American economy, and its gravitational pull drew legions of high-achieving young people to New York.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pull
Verb
Even before Iran announced Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz was again closed, ship operators had pulled back on sailings through the critical channel.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
In simple terms, the future sun may be less effective at pulling Earth inward than scientists previously thought.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Noun
His first sip — or rather, chug — of alcohol was a strong pull of tequila in the Knicks’ locker room.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
Finance became the center of the American economy, and its gravitational pull drew legions of high-achieving young people to New York.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pull
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pull
Verb
-
The Traverse was then reportedly hit by the driver of a tractor-trailer hauling an empty logging trailer.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Marin ultimately hauled McNulty to court in 2022, and a judge ordered her to vacate, according to Vanity Fair.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Within days of its release, Anthropic’s most sophisticated public AI model was abruptly yanked from customers.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
With two outs and a runner on, Sasaki yanked a splitter to the inside edge of the strike zone to Gunnar Henderson, who lifted it over the wall in right field.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Taiwan’s indigenous people –– who nowadays make up just a tiny proportion of the island’s population –– are believed to be the ancestors of many of the groups who came to inhabit lands stretching from Hawaii and Easter Island in the eastern Pacific, to Madagascar, off the coast of east Africa.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
The perk here is that the material holds up to cold weather by stretching and expanding without breaking, requiring fewer repairs and resource use.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
If all goes well, Katalyst's space tug (it's called Link) will lift the Swift observatory into a higher, safer orbit — one that will add years of life to the aging space telescope's mission.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
19 June 2026
-
The clash between the two dynamics — one extolling beauty, the other detailing gruesome crimes — makes for an oil-vinegar mix that speaks to the tug of war women experience between using the beauty versus their brains.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
In an interview with the New York Times a decade ago, Iwobi talked about Ronaldinho’s influence on him via the PlayStation and brought up McGeady’s name in the same breath.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Despite the global influence, Lilo feels like a true expression of Southern California in restaurant form.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Dalal said their son played there daily with his friends, taking advantage of a club policy that allows children under five to enter without a membership.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
The comedian, 38, best known for his role as the acerbic gay best friend Elliott Goss in HBO’s Search Party, chose our meeting place to take advantage of the balmy late-May weather and to say goodbye to the neighborhood.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
As the conflict in the Middle East has dragged on, pressure has been building on Capitol Hill to intervene.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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In an unprecedented moved in May, Lebanon filed a formal complaint against Iran at the United Nations Security Council, directly accusing Tehran of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations for interfering in its sovereign decisions and dragging the country into war.—
Mireille Rebeiz,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The ability to extract consumer insights, test prototypes, and craft compelling product narratives must be embedded across teams, according to Kemkers.—
Sally Percy,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The agreement appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.—
Seung Min Kim,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pull.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pull. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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