PULLING Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

pulling

verb

present participle of pull

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

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

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

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 pulling Conceiving it is one thing, pulling it off another entirely, and here Ballard’s technique and execution were flawless. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Summary Bitcoin was rejected at $79,500, pulling back to $76,000 after a strong rally from $63,000. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Bermuda grass rhizomes can occur 6 to 8 inches deep, so simply pulling the surface runners or shallow cultivation will not eliminate it. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 Aug. 2026 People who originally stopped because they were intrigued by the sight of a guy pulling pizzas out of a Smart car have become regulars and bring friends. — Bradley Alvelo, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026 Then, unmistakably, forward movement, the car pulling itself back to life. — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 Absolutely, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to pulling back, at least across our outlet centers. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026 Rescue crews were able to save lives in their response by pulling an elderly woman out of a tree when her house washed away, Green said. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026 Valencia led off the fourth inning with his sixth home run in 50 career at-bats, pulling the Tigers within a run. — CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling

Verb

The semi truck was hauling approximately 50,000 pounds of tires, according to CHP officials.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Shimano has included two settings, one for general riding and one for hauling cargo or passengers.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of hauling

Verb

With other phones, even something simple like replacing an aging battery often requires melting adhesive, prying apart fragile glass panels, and decoupling cables.

— Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
Netflis is keeping the logline a hop, skip and a jump from prying eyes but it is known to be a mother-daughter story involving teleportation.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of prying

Verb

The seasonal calendar is stretching earlier, chains are competing to own the first sip of autumn, and customers are voting with their orders.

— Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Once owned by an heir to the Getty oil fortune, a full-floor penthouse atop San Francisco’s Russian Hill with wraparound terraces and views stretching from the Golden Gate Bridge to the downtown skyline is on the market for nearly $20 million.

— David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of stretching

Verb

As mentioned previously, Babcock obstinately played a late-career Marleau in significant minutes during his time in Toronto with dragging results.

— Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The officer ordered him to stop, but the man continued driving, dragging the officer a short distance.

— Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

The episode feinted toward genuine rapprochement before yanking the rug out, leaving the Gang pelted with an industrial-grade indoor blizzard and then happily chucking rocks at passing trains, as was Mac and Charlie’s childhood tradition.

— Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
The tentacular Scylla is seen briefly but makes an impact, yanking sailors off Odysseus’s ship in a series of loud jump scares.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 July 2026

Definition of yanking

Verb

Bellinger is potentially days away from returning to the lineup after straining his hamstring last month, and will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

— Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Houston officials are warning teachers that health care is straining the budget.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of straining

Verb

Teams earned points by winning weekly head-to-head battles – tugging a sled across the field the fastest, surviving a heated game of dodgeball – and by simply doing the right thing.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Other players rushed to the scene, with linebacker Dre Greenlaw tugging right tackle Colton McKivitz to the ground, prompting fullback Kyle Juszczyk to enter the fray and a dogpile ensued.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Definition of tugging

Verb

Against that backdrop, Pina’s speech asserted the platform should be regarded as a partner to television, rather than a tech giant extracting audiences and value from it.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Lynn was reluctant to take credit for extracting the performance from Curry.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of extracting

Browse Nearby Words

pull in

pulling

pulling a face

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Style

“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pulling

verb

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