pull-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈpu̇l-ˌəp 

plural pull-ups

: an exercise in which one hangs by the hands from a support (such as a horizontal bar) and pulls oneself up until the chin is level with the support

specifically : such an exercise done with the palms facing outward compare chin-up

pull up

2 of 2

verb

pulled up; pulling up; pulls up

transitive verb

1

: to bring to a stop : halt

2

: check, rebuke

intransitive verb

1

a

: to check oneself

b

: to come to an often abrupt halt : stop

2

: to draw even with others in a race

Synonyms of pull-up

Verb

• stop
• halt
• catch
• stall
• check
• stay
• draw up
• hold up
• bring up

Examples of pull-up in a Sentence

Verb

the jockey tried to pull up the apparently injured horse

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hernandez made her only basket of the first half on a pull-up 3-pointer that ignited a 9-0 run and gave the Anteaters their biggest lead of the game at 16-8. —Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026

The 6-foot-6 guard hit a pull-up jumper along the right baseline nearly 3 1/2 minutes into the game for his first points and added a 360-layup about two minutes later. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Verb

Martucci said the woman was also pulled up after two firefighters helped her out of the pond. —Timia Cobb breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026

The Mob frontman pointed to Yams Day 2020 as a turning point in their relationship, which saw Drake pull up to the event paying homage to A$AP Yams and gifted Rocky a chain of his late friend, who passed away in 2015. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1623, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for pull-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup