pulling

verb

present participle of pull
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

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 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 Unlike a sprawling landscape, where distinct areas can be carved out for gardening, entertaining, and lounging, a compact outdoor space demands more strategic planning, with every square foot pulling double duty. — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 15 Aug. 2026 This tilt toward Gloria causes the film to lose its way a bit, pulling focus from the more potentially vital mentor-disciple dynamic between Ed and the anxious, navel-gazing Meyers. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Local media outlets reported that Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan and nearby states began pulling iceberg lettuce from their menus as early as July 7. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026 Regardless, failure to achieve promotion last season did not help in a financial climate where Southampton were pulling back support for their women’s team and reducing the number of academy employees. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 That said, pulling one off takes a bit more intention than simply slipping it on. — Alyssa Rotunno, InStyle, 10 Aug. 2026 By pulling the air over its surface, the system prevents airflow separation that normally limits conventional sails. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
  1. hauling
  2. prying
  3. stretching
  4. dragging
  5. yanking
  6. straining
  7. tugging
  8. extracting
Verb
  • Families who love trails might lean toward all-terrain bikes, while parents hauling groceries or little ones may want the extra boost of an e-bike.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, continued hauling the 29 Starlink satellites to LEO today.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hauling
Verb
  • 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
  • This $10 option comes with three privacy glass screen protectors that will shield your screen from damage and prying eyes at the same time.
    — Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of prying
Verb
  • There is sound business in stretching a recognisable design language rather than continually starting again.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Following the military conquests initiated by Genghis Khan in 1206, the Mongols unified vast territories stretching from the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the Persian Gulf and the Danube River, creating the largest contiguous land empire in history.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • But Beaman is quick to point out that people shouldn't simply head into the woods and start dragging things out themselves.
    — Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Gaten Matarazzo is playing sort of a sexy role, where Billie’s dragging him into the bathroom.
    — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 12 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
  • Soaring temperatures are forcing drastic measures in Europe, where successive heatwaves are straining an economy already under pressure from US tariffs, Chinese competition and higher energy prices because of the Iran war.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Kabita’s hemoglobin levels were critically low, leaving her short of oxygen and straining her heart.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 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
  • These platforms function less like traditional capitalist firms than feudal estates, extracting rent from businesses, creators, and users who have little choice but to operate on their terrain.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The humidor carries more than 10,000 cigars, and King makes every cocktail in-house — down to growing his own herbs and extracting his own vanilla bean.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of extracting

Browse Nearby Words

pull in
pulling
pulling a face
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Cite this Entry

“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pulling for Spanish Speakers

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