pull up short
idiom
: to suddenly stop what one is doing
I had to slam on the brakes when the car in front of me pulled up short.
He began to answer her question and then pulled up short.
Examples of pull up short in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On two of those plays, the Bengals rookie appeared to pull up short as he was being sized up by Washington S Landon Collins.
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Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2021
There's always the possibility that Trump will pull up short at some point and consider the weight of his words -- and the impact on his legacy.
—Nancy Benac, Star Tribune, 6 Nov. 2020
Every runner has had the experience of starting a race fast only to flounder and pull up short in the later miles.
—Jason Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 26 Nov. 2019
Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2021
There's always the possibility that Trump will pull up short at some point and consider the weight of his words -- and the impact on his legacy.
—Nancy Benac, Star Tribune, 6 Nov. 2020
Every runner has had the experience of starting a race fast only to flounder and pull up short in the later miles.
—Jason Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 26 Nov. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pull up short.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pull up short
Cite this Entry
“Pull up short.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20up%20short. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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