pull off

verb

pulled off; pulling off; pulls off

transitive verb

: to carry out despite difficulties : accomplish successfully against odds

the team pulled off an upset

Synonyms of pull off

• fulfill
• accomplish
• perform
• achieve
• execute
• do
• carry out
• make
• carry off
• implement
• put through

Examples of pull off in a Sentence

the rebel forces pulled off a surprisingly successful offensive against the better equipped government troops

Recent Examples on the Web

Missing most of the same players who sat out that overtime upset of the 76ers earlier this month, Denver pulled off another short-handed heist Friday with a 102-100 win over the Bucks. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026

The Kennedy boys basketball team erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pull off a stunning 69-63 win over Valencia on Thursday night at Valencia High. —David Delgado, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026

Never pull off the paved road, my father used to say. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

If Jarrett Stidham remains turnover free and is at least serviceable, the conference’s top seed has a path at pulling off the upset without its star quarterback. —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pull off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff