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
As a moon orbits a planet, the two objects gravitationally pull at one another.
—
Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
At least one female fan could be seen confronting the concertgoer who pulled at the performer.
—Austin Mullen, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
News bulletins have inevitably used Roberto Vecchioni’s song Luci a San Siro (San Siro Lights) to pull at the heartstrings of Milanisti, Interisti and football fans in general.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
When exfoliating, be gentle with your skin and use upward circles to avoid stretching and pulling at your skin.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
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Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
At least one female fan could be seen confronting the concertgoer who pulled at the performer.
—Austin Mullen, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
News bulletins have inevitably used Roberto Vecchioni’s song Luci a San Siro (San Siro Lights) to pull at the heartstrings of Milanisti, Interisti and football fans in general.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
When exfoliating, be gentle with your skin and use upward circles to avoid stretching and pulling at your skin.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
Cite this Entry
“Pull at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20at. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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