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

Antetokounmpo was everywhere, throwing a down a poster dunk over Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, hitting pull-up threes and assisting on a bunch of the Heat’s three-pointers. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026

Randle found him for a drive that produced a basket on a goaltending call, and a pull-up bank shot followed before the game was three minutes old. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Verb

As his vessel pulled up to a landing ramp on one of the islands — located just off the Antarctic Peninsula — Vanstreels and his fellow researchers immediately noticed bumps in the snow. — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026

Police said a near-collision on the bridge led Romero to aggressively tailgate Irvine, pull up on the side of his car and fire a deadly shot before driving away. — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 27 Oct. 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