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
Rafael Nadal was famous for pulling at his shorts, tucking his hair behind his ears, and touching his nose, for example, while Serena Williams was known to bounce her ball a specific number of times (five on the first serve, and two on the second).
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Caroline Tien, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025
Lunar eclipses tend to pull at our heartstrings and heighten passions.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 5 Sep. 2025
There were plenty of loose threads for supporters to pull at from the interview, though.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
The black dog repeatedly pulled at his brother's leash and stopped him from exploring further.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
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Caroline Tien, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025
Lunar eclipses tend to pull at our heartstrings and heighten passions.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 5 Sep. 2025
There were plenty of loose threads for supporters to pull at from the interview, though.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
The black dog repeatedly pulled at his brother's leash and stopped him from exploring further.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 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 12 Sep. 2025.
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