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
Just two of them had been pulled at all into right field.
—
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 July 2025
The creamy texture of the crayon prevents the pencil tip from dragging or pulling at the skin, while its high color-payoff leaves behind a fine outline in either Black, Brown or Burgundy.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Nothing moves us and pulls at our heartstrings more as when our children were young.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 25 July 2025
After an unexpected loss of the couple's canine, Alanna and Keith decided to open their hearts to a senior dog whose eyes immediately pulled at their heartstrings.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
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Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 July 2025
The creamy texture of the crayon prevents the pencil tip from dragging or pulling at the skin, while its high color-payoff leaves behind a fine outline in either Black, Brown or Burgundy.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Nothing moves us and pulls at our heartstrings more as when our children were young.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 25 July 2025
After an unexpected loss of the couple's canine, Alanna and Keith decided to open their hearts to a senior dog whose eyes immediately pulled at their heartstrings.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 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 19 Aug. 2025.
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