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
While Dixie and Toby were pulling at their leashes to run further into the snow, their handlers were eyeing a hill to sled down after work.
—
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
There’s also a triangle with Stella being in the center — Stanley and Blanche pulling at the allegiance of Stella.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
There’s the Latin side that pulls at his heart strings and feeds on 70s classics from the Latin songbook.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 28 May 2025
Instead of staying stuck in worry, ask yourself: What topics in the news pull at me the most?
—Katy Bowman, NPR, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
There’s also a triangle with Stella being in the center — Stanley and Blanche pulling at the allegiance of Stella.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
There’s the Latin side that pulls at his heart strings and feeds on 70s classics from the Latin songbook.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 28 May 2025
Instead of staying stuck in worry, ask yourself: What topics in the news pull at me the most?
—Katy Bowman, NPR, 13 Apr. 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 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share