1
as in hauling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in prying
to draw out by force or with effort
the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stretching
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulling
And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.
—
Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
As with most creative endeavors, the challenge is in pulling everything together in a shape that people can recognize.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 23 May 2026
And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
Lopez exclaims before jumping in place excitedly and pulling Abdalla into a hug.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 May 2026
Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The Wall Street wine guys of the eighties, now elderly, seem to be pulling the ladder up behind them.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
She's been pulling the whole mom thing on top of working and nursing school, so it's been endless challenges with her.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
As with most creative endeavors, the challenge is in pulling everything together in a shape that people can recognize.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 23 May 2026
And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
Lopez exclaims before jumping in place excitedly and pulling Abdalla into a hug.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 May 2026
Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The Wall Street wine guys of the eighties, now elderly, seem to be pulling the ladder up behind them.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
She's been pulling the whole mom thing on top of working and nursing school, so it's been endless challenges with her.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
-
Many are in their 70s or older, hauling tens of kilograms of cardboard for a pittance in order to scrape by in one of Asia’s richest cities.—
Catherine Phillips,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
-
Jeremiah Brent is at the wheel of his vintage orange Kubota tractor, hauling plants and soil for his new vegetable garden.—
Ingrid Abramovitch,
Architectural Digest,
22 May 2026
Verb
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These evergreen or deciduous shrubs protect your garden oasis from prying eyes and create a sense of solitude.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
-
It’s built with recycled aluminum and features a camera privacy shutter to keep your secret identity safe from prying eyes.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 700-mile fault stretching from Northern California to British Columbia and separates the Juan de Fuca and North America tectonic plates, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN).—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Rai said the additional five years, stretching the patent from 2026 to 2031, likely stem from the Hatch-Waxman Act, a 1984 law that allows drugmakers to extend patents by up to five years to make up for time lost moving their drug through clinical trials and the FDA approval process.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The uncanny vision is made even eerier when Hoop spots her late mother dragging her five children through the human tide.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
19 May 2026
-
The complaint states that Sorsby only has until June 22 to make a decision regarding the NFL Supplemental Draft, and the NCAA is dragging its feet in this process.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The lifeguard pursued me in a gray metal dinghy with a bullhorn, ordering me out of the water and yanking me up over the side of his boat.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Essentially, yanking gravity away is another tool, just like temperature or pressure, that drug manufacturers can apply to improve their products.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Simonson said that while construction has been hit by the same low-hire, low-fire conditions straining job growth, the industry faces more severe shortages from both an aging workforce and dwindling interest from younger generations.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
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That straining step concentrates what remains, producing the thicker texture and higher protein density Greek yogurt is known for.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
23 May 2026
-
Before the film's presentation, the actress was seen playfully tugging at her husband's blazer.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
But Canty said that law enforcement arrived quickly and immediately began extracting people from the building.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
-
Many manufacturers invested heavily in connected equipment and data collection, only to discover that collecting data and extracting value from it are entirely different challenges.—
Joel Scutchfield,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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