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

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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

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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 Why TikTok livestream selling can drive big sales Three forces are pulling sellers toward livestream commerce, and Duplantis’s numbers reflect all of them. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026 Wildfire risk is pushing insurers to underwrite hotels based on physical resilience rather than location alone, and carriers are pulling back from some markets entirely. — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Church & Dwight Analyst Anna Lizzul said in a recent note to clients that Church & Dwight management is pulling all the right levers in its turnaround. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026 The suspect was uncooperative during the contact and physically resisted, briefly pulling the officer partially inside his vehicle, Lincoln police said in a social media post. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The All-Pro left tackle spent the weeks since pulling a hamstring during a conditioning run on the first day of training camp riding a stationary bike, grinding on a VersaClimber, working in the pool and skiing his way back into football shape. — Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Video from the scene showed rescuers helping a man covered in mud out of the tunnel by pulling and pushing. — Niranjan Shrestha, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling

Verb

But semis are hauling the majority of goods in America, especially to the final destination, the final place where it’s sold or picked up.

— Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Sep. 2026
Beyond the beds, Radica keeps the interior simple, leaving the pickup floor available for hauling cargo, just as it was intended.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of hauling

Verb

How much of it might be solved by prying them from our children’s hands?

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Since Bill completed his term as the 42nd POTUS in 2001, the political power couple has primarily resided in a Dutch Colonial dwelling in New York’s Westchester County, secluded amongst the trees—and away from prying eyes.

— Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of prying

Verb

The move may mark more than another bout of bond-market volatility, with consequences stretching across economies and financial markets.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
The fires have spread across several provinces, creating a vast front of flames stretching from the center to the far east of the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of stretching

Verb

In addition, people are urged to secure to chains to avoid dragging and potential spark and not to toss cigarette butts out of vehicles.

— Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of dragging

Verb

Video shows teams of workers yanking ropes to ferry locals who were stranded on an embankment flanked by a flooded river.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of yanking

Verb

Facing a potential domestic supply shortage, Russia recently extended a diesel export ban through the end of September, straining what were already critically low global diesel reserves.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Beijing has rejected the accusations, straining ties ahead of a summit this month between the American and Chinese leaders.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 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
In a statement after the trial, Delaney acknowledged tugging on the student's sleeve.

— William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of tugging

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 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pulling

verb

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