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

His small band of Spaniards pulled off the impossible, and conquered the Mexica empire with alliances, superior technology and diseases. —Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Rehmet pulled off an upset, leading Wambsganss by nearly 12 percentage points. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026

Researchers at the University of North Texas Health Fort Worth want to unpack how the brain pulls off those sensory feats through a new research center. —Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026

Given that Testing couldn’t even crack 80,000 in an era that was relatively kinder to hip-hop on the Billboard 200 — as well as the eight years of false starts and the lack of true pre-release hit — Don’t Be Dumb pulled off something just short of a miracle. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 29 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