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
Shepp announced that Veal earned the rare Girl Scout Saving Award, an accolade reserved for monumental acts of bravery; Veal, along with her mother, helped save the life of a Sand City Beach fisherman who lost his footing and collapsed, pulling him ashore.
—
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
The profile image on the chat features a behind-the-scenes snapshot of Bailey with his on-screen brothers Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) pulling silly faces.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Sure, the star big man could find himself in more DHO scenarios, pulling a facsimile of what All-Star center Domantas Sabonis executes out west.
—New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Separate the spreading root system by cutting or pulling it apart into several sections.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
But more alarming than the ways in which this physical space could turn against us was the simple metaphor of a wizened little man pulling a boat down a river in the dark.
—Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Quickly, officers began pulling surveillance video from the area and saw the suspect had left in a silver Chevrolet Malibu.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
So, what if someone’s still not pulling their weight?
—Vicki Salemi, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
The researchers propose these pulling chains could act like force ratchets.
—Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
The profile image on the chat features a behind-the-scenes snapshot of Bailey with his on-screen brothers Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) pulling silly faces.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Sure, the star big man could find himself in more DHO scenarios, pulling a facsimile of what All-Star center Domantas Sabonis executes out west.
—New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Separate the spreading root system by cutting or pulling it apart into several sections.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
But more alarming than the ways in which this physical space could turn against us was the simple metaphor of a wizened little man pulling a boat down a river in the dark.
—Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Quickly, officers began pulling surveillance video from the area and saw the suspect had left in a silver Chevrolet Malibu.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
So, what if someone’s still not pulling their weight?
—Vicki Salemi, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
The researchers propose these pulling chains could act like force ratchets.
—Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
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That included branding civil rights advocacy and speech defamatory, a breach of the peace, or hate speech, and hauling activists into courts and jails.—
Time,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
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For families, the villas are also pre-stocked with bulky-but-essential items like a highchair and Pack-n-Play, so there’s no need to overpack or deal with the unnecessary hassle of hauling these supplies with you.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to Alixandra, who didn't share her surname, Sparrow masterminded her own midnight feast by toppling the feeder and prying off the lid.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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This is about creating a childhood away from prying eyes, giving his children the space and support to enjoy being children without a care in the world.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As storytellers, Supergiant have defined their own personal tone that pervades their body work, stretching from games like Bastion to Pyre.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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This can include walking, stretching, taking an active recovery day and getting quality sleep.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For Thiago’s second goal midway through the first half, Ouattara ambled back towards his own goal down the centre of the pitch, dragging Shaw and Dorgu with him.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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The clip ends with the owner managing to open the door—dragging the golden retriever along with it—as their other pets enter the frame to see them off.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the footage, a uniformed officer is seen forcibly grabbing the female passenger’s arm and yanking her towards the aisle.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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Stern is one of several high-profile entertainments hosts who have condemned ABC and Disney for yanking Kimmel off the air.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While global data center appetite is strong, the pace and scale of these projects are straining traditional lenders, said the panelists.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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Domestically in Taiwan, Washington’s growing list of demands are straining relations with the East Asian economic powerhouse, and risk further souring public sentiment in Taiwan toward the US.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When that happens, the quads start tugging on your patellar tendon, a band of tissue that joins the kneecap with the shin bone, causing pain there, Ginader explains.—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
28 Sep. 2025
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The heart-tugging comedy is a point of pride for Johansson, 40, who hopes to set an example to her kids by stepping behind the camera and chasing her dreams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That always amps up the pressure a bit, but the challenging layout of the track really forced me to focus on extracting the most out of the Mustang at low and high speeds.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Sep. 2025
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The researchers analyzed changes in Swift’s accent between 2008 and 2019, extracting audio from interviews on YouTube and elsewhere online.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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