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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulling
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
This entire island’s economy used to depend on them pulling the heavy wooden wheels of old-school olive presses.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 17 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
The stock market is up, but lower-income Americans are pulling back on their spending.
—CBS News, 17 May 2026
Unexpected inspiration may strike today, pulling you toward a new form of self-expression.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 17 May 2026
The mix will soak up water through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, slowly pulling moisture upward like a sponge.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 May 2026
The same numbers powering that rally show capital pulling further ahead of labor.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 May 2026
Once all went awry on the offramp, the driver may have prevented the wreck by pulling the emergency brake.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
This entire island’s economy used to depend on them pulling the heavy wooden wheels of old-school olive presses.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 17 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
The stock market is up, but lower-income Americans are pulling back on their spending.
—CBS News, 17 May 2026
Unexpected inspiration may strike today, pulling you toward a new form of self-expression.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 17 May 2026
The mix will soak up water through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, slowly pulling moisture upward like a sponge.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 May 2026
The same numbers powering that rally show capital pulling further ahead of labor.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 May 2026
Once all went awry on the offramp, the driver may have prevented the wreck by pulling the emergency brake.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
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The film eliminated even a gesture toward a plot while showing solitary nonprofessional and real-life ranch-hand Misael Saavedra chopping and hauling logs in the Argentinian hinterlands (in actuality, Alonso’s family’s ranch).—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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In terms of where to beach, wide stretches of sand in Beach Haven remain some of the Jersey Shore’s most desirable, drawing surfers at sunrise, families hauling coolers and striped umbrellas by midday, and sunset walkers lingering until the sky fades pink over the dunes.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 May 2026
Verb
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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
-
There’s still all this nonsense about the temptation of the female body, and the need for nuns to shield themselves from prying eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Verb
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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
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Travelers end up dragging coats through museums or try to shove them into already full suitcases before a train transfer.—
Chantelle Kincy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
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That’s led to a stark split between Wall Street analysts and energy experts, who have been warning that oil supplies could head off a cliff in the coming months or even weeks, dragging the global economy down in the process.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Verb
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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
-
Now, the Sentinel has learned, Florida is taking an inconsistent approach to cleaning up its mess, yanking the licenses of 47 nurses who attended schools cited by the FBI but allowing others to keep working, even when it has been alerted to their shortcomings.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Then open the shaker, add ice, and shake good and hard for eight to 10 seconds before straining up.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
16 May 2026
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This type of planning often focuses on helping households manage risk without unnecessarily straining cash flow.—
Wes Moss,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Before the film's presentation, the actress was seen playfully tugging at her husband's blazer.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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The gel formula swipes onto the lids without any skipping or tugging, giving you ample time to smudge, sculpt, or sharpen the line before the brand’s patented PermaLock Technology sets it into a waterproof, transfer-proof, and smudge-proof finish.—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The second part focuses on extracting everything from the vault without triggering a full security response.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
15 May 2026
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Tracks may start with classy piano, but subtlety is almost never the end product; the group wields sidechains like a bandolier, extracting the maximum possible velocity in every kick while retaining the gooey melodic centre.—
Nathan Evans,
Pitchfork,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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