pull at

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

Rescue teams pulled at least 10 people from the debris and rushed them to a government hospital. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

May 21 – June 20 Public expectations and private needs may pull at each other. — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026

Gemini May 21 – June 20 Public expectations and private needs may pull at each other. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2026

The man hugged a bag, the woman shouted and flailed her arms, and the young teenage boy pulled at his sister, who seemed stupefied. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026

Rhymes for pull at

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