PULL AWAY Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

pull away

verb

Definition of pull away

as in to detach

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of pull away The Sox received strong pitching from starter Sean Burke and relievers Chris Murphy, Grant Taylor and Brandon Eisert, while the offense came up big down the stretch to pull away in the opener of the three-game series. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2026 All of it was on the table Sunday night as the rain, which didn’t seem to be affecting most parts of the state, finally began to pull away from Cromwell and Rocky Hill. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026 The CIOs who understand that are about to pull away from the ones who do not. — Julie Averill, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026 Nneka Ogwumike and Cameron Brink helped the Sparks pull away in overtime to secure their third consecutive win. — Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pull away

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pull away

Verb

These include anxiety, emotional distress, resurfacing of painful memories and dissociation – feeling detached from oneself or one’s surroundings.

— Ronald S. Green, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
According to the recall notice, the sandals' decorative plastic pearls can detach from the shoe, creating a choking hazard for young children.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Definition of detach

Verb

Employees quickly disengage when content remains static or outdated, making ongoing governance and content stewardship essential to sustaining adoption and value.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Far from being disengaged from the city’s fiscal challenges, residents demonstrated a clear understanding of the seriousness of this issue to the future of Chicago.

— Karen Freeman-Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026

Definition of disengage

Verb

By the time police arrived at the scene, the suspect had already fled.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 14 July 2026
In 1940, Goudstikker fled the Netherlands during the country’s invasion by Nazi Germany, leaving behind his collection of some 1,400 paintings, mostly Old Master works.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026

Definition of flee

Verb

Try to disentangle some of that by practicing having conversations that aren’t as charged with people who can listen and not react.

— R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
These models are designed to disentangle the relationship between color and extinction status.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 July 2026

Definition of disentangle

Verb

Adeline André will close out the official calendar in Paris, on Thursday at 4pm, while a number of attendees will fly to Rome for the Fendi show that evening at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea.

— Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 6 July 2026
Norway and Brazil were locked in a tense, back-and-forth game Sunday, in the round of 16, until Haaland came flying in with that header to give Norway a 1-0 lead.

— Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026

Definition of fly

Verb

Research shows that drops in hormones actually shrink the volume of gray matter in a woman’s hippocampus and frontal and temporal cortices, which are key for memory and executive function.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 16 July 2026
When the goal looks too big to move, shrink it until your team can win now, then let momentum do the rest.

— André Martin, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of shrink

Verb

Purists might flinch, but the approach works brilliantly in context, as Nolan — perhaps taking permission from Emily Wilson’s prose-like translation — strips away anything that might interfere with the rough-and-ready immersiveness of his spectacle.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
The judge appeared to flinch while watching footage of the killing.

— Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026

Definition of flinch

Verb

According to the Office for National Statistics, 79% of adults in Great Britain reported in April an increase in their cost of living, despite a climb down in inflation to a current level of 3%.

— Callum Sutherland, Time, 17 July 2026
One officer moved Nikolau over so her soon-to-be husband, Beerkus, could climb down.

— Saleen Martin, USA Today, 2 July 2026

Definition of climb down

Browse Nearby Words

pull a face

pull away

pullback

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Style

“Pull away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pull%20away. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of pull away

verb

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