pulled; pulling; pulls
Definition of pull
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to exert force upon so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the force
b : to stretch (cooling candy) repeatedly
pull taffy
c : to strain abnormally
pull a tendon
d : to hold back (a racehorse) from winning
e : to work (an oar) by drawing back strongly
2a : to draw out from the skin
pull feathers from a rooster's tail
b : to pluck from a plant or by the roots
pull flowers pull turnips
c : extract pull a tooth
3 : to hit (a ball) toward the left from a right-handed swing or toward the right from a left-handed swing — compare push
5 : to print (something, such as a proof) by impression
6a : to remove from a place or situation
pull the engine pulled the pitcher in the third inning pulled the show
b : revoke If they're caught dumping, they'll get their license pulled.— Alexandra Alger
7 : to bring (a weapon) into the open
pulled a knife
b : commit, perpetrate pull a robbery pull a prank
b : to act or behave in the manner of
pulled a Horace Greely and went west— Steve Rushin
10a : to draw the support or attention of : attract pull votes —often used with in
11 : to demand or obtain an advantage over someone by the assertion of
pull rank
1a : to use force in drawing, dragging, or tugging
b : to move especially through the exercise of mechanical energy
the car pulled clear of the rut
c(1) : to take a drink
(2) : to draw hard in smoking
pulled at a pipe
d : to strain against the bit
2 : to draw a gun
3 : to admit of being pulled
4 : to feel or express strong sympathy : root pulling for my team to win
5 of an offensive lineman in football : to move back from the line of scrimmage and toward one flank to provide blocking for a ballcarrier
pull a face pull a fast one pull oneself together pull one's leg pull one's weight pull punches or less commonly pull a punch pull stakes or pull up stakes pull strings or less commonly pull wires pull the plug pull the rug from under pull the string pull the trigger pull the wool over one's eyes pull together
: to make a face : grimace
: to perpetrate a trick or fraud
: to regain one's composure
: to deceive someone playfully : hoax
: to do one's full share of the work
: to refrain from using all the force at one's disposal
: to move out : leave
: to exert hidden influence or control
1 : to disconnect a medical life-support system
2 : to withdraw essential and especially financial support
: to weaken or unsettle especially by removing support or assistance from
: to throw a changeup
: to make a decisive move or action
: to blind to the true situation : hoodwink
: to work in harmony : cooperate
Definition of pull (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : the act or an instance of pulling
b(1) : a draft of liquid
(2) : an inhalation of smoke
c : the effort expended in moving
a long pull uphill
d : force required to overcome resistance to pulling
a trigger with a four pound pull
e : a competition in which a heavily weighted sled is pulled by participants usually using draft animals or machines
a tractor pull the county fair's annual ox pull The truck pull may be one one of the machine age's weirdest mutations. Modified pickup trucks and dragsters are hooked to trailers or "sleds" weighed down with 30,000 to 40,000 pounds … They rev up their engines and slog their way across a 200-foot mud track.
2a : advantage
b : special influence
3 : proof sense 6a
4 : a device for pulling something or for operating by pulling
a drawer pull
5 : a force that attracts, compels, or influences : attraction
6 : an injury resulting from abnormal straining or stretching
a muscle pull a groin pull
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Time Traveler for pull
The first known use of pull was before the 12th century
See more words from the same century