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 beast screamed and flew away, pulling an attached anchor into the water.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 June 2026
Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, Swift remains scientifically valuable, but atmospheric drag has been pulling it dangerously close to Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
One is about civic commonality, the other about authoritarian cynicism; one is about a city pulling together around a common pleasure, the other about desecrating the decorum of democracy.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
So Ngoy reached out and grabbed the Iranian by the shirt, pulling him to the ground and earning a red card for his trouble, leaving Belgium to play the final half-hour down a man.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
The performance prompted manager Marcelo Bielsa to make halftime changes, which included pulling former Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez early.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
The victim tried to defend himself, pulling a sharp object from his bag, police said.
—Dylan Olsen, CBS News, 21 June 2026
There’s a lot of repairing and resolution that needs to happen in this final episode, but luckily things start strong with Liz and Jo-Ellen pulling each other aside to talk things through on the beach.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 June 2026
But Hong Kong has a way of pulling people back.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 June 2026
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 June 2026
Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, Swift remains scientifically valuable, but atmospheric drag has been pulling it dangerously close to Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
One is about civic commonality, the other about authoritarian cynicism; one is about a city pulling together around a common pleasure, the other about desecrating the decorum of democracy.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
So Ngoy reached out and grabbed the Iranian by the shirt, pulling him to the ground and earning a red card for his trouble, leaving Belgium to play the final half-hour down a man.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
The performance prompted manager Marcelo Bielsa to make halftime changes, which included pulling former Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez early.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
The victim tried to defend himself, pulling a sharp object from his bag, police said.
—Dylan Olsen, CBS News, 21 June 2026
There’s a lot of repairing and resolution that needs to happen in this final episode, but luckily things start strong with Liz and Jo-Ellen pulling each other aside to talk things through on the beach.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 June 2026
But Hong Kong has a way of pulling people back.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
-
Alternative disposal methods such as chipping or hauling landscape debris to a green waste facility can help reduce fire risk without open burning.—
Haley Parsley,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
-
The Indians had been hauling timber with him.—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The two have already had a few chats away from prying eyes and shared a few kisses.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
10 June 2026
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Even remakes and adaptations of centuries-old novels are kept away from prying eyes, forgetting that everybody can look up the ending of every story ever told on Wikipedia.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Data centers are contained in buildings stretching as far as a football field, housing thousands of continually running machines.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 June 2026
-
But the Los Angeles pianist still loves stretching out with a small combo.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Mbappé has already been a hero for his country, winning the World Cup in 2018 and scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final while almost dragging his team to an unlikely defense of the title.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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Avoid activities that could create a spark, including campfires, outdoor burning and dragging trailer chains.—
Joe Ruch,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Counsell admitted postgame that yanking Imanaga might not have been the right move.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
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There are stories of major Nashville players yanking him off the street, keeping him drunk for days in hotels, then leaving Knoxville with stacks of new songs.—
Jonathan Rowe,
SPIN,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The 2026 World Cup is straining public services in 16 host cities with unprecedented crowd surges and emergency demands, including a 350% spike in calls, many from non-English speakers.—
Alison Coleman,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
Problem properties can create economic and fiscal challenges, including depressing neighboring property values, straining fire and police resources and increasing the risk of arson and violent crime.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Verb
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He is seen in the video grabbing and tugging on her to prevent her from leaving.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
20 June 2026
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Vinicus followed up his stunning early strike with a series of nagging runs, tugging the Panamanians’ back line into awkward shapes.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Designed for all ages, the fair features activities and games rooted in science, technology, engineering, and math—from discovering native plants to extracting DNA from apricots and exploring robotics.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
21 June 2026
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The agreement appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.—
Seung Min Kim,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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