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
And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.
—
Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
As with most creative endeavors, the challenge is in pulling everything together in a shape that people can recognize.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 23 May 2026
And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
Lopez exclaims before jumping in place excitedly and pulling Abdalla into a hug.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 May 2026
Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The Wall Street wine guys of the eighties, now elderly, seem to be pulling the ladder up behind them.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
She's been pulling the whole mom thing on top of working and nursing school, so it's been endless challenges with her.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
As with most creative endeavors, the challenge is in pulling everything together in a shape that people can recognize.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 23 May 2026
And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
Lopez exclaims before jumping in place excitedly and pulling Abdalla into a hug.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 May 2026
Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The Wall Street wine guys of the eighties, now elderly, seem to be pulling the ladder up behind them.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
She's been pulling the whole mom thing on top of working and nursing school, so it's been endless challenges with her.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
-
Many are in their 70s or older, hauling tens of kilograms of cardboard for a pittance in order to scrape by in one of Asia’s richest cities.—
Catherine Phillips,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
-
Jeremiah Brent is at the wheel of his vintage orange Kubota tractor, hauling plants and soil for his new vegetable garden.—
Ingrid Abramovitch,
Architectural Digest,
22 May 2026
Verb
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That doesn’t mean robbing Billy of his shot at prying open Homelander’s skull, but with only a symbolic solution to Trump’s authoritarian rise — love conquers all!—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
These evergreen or deciduous shrubs protect your garden oasis from prying eyes and create a sense of solitude.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Whether Glasner was justified or not in his complaints, a prolonged period of poor form, stretching back well over a month, coupled with his outbursts, led to questions over his future.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
With roots stretching back to the late 19th century, the gardens were developed with two prominent local families before becoming part of the nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden network in the 1980s.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Sources of Putin’s Sluggish Polling One would think that the reason for this decline in Putin’s approval rating would be the war in Ukraine dragging on.—
Natasha Lindstaedt,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
This is a man who has dedicated six and a half years of his life, just about every waking moment, to dragging his club to the top of the mountain.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The lifeguard pursued me in a gray metal dinghy with a bullhorn, ordering me out of the water and yanking me up over the side of his boat.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Essentially, yanking gravity away is another tool, just like temperature or pressure, that drug manufacturers can apply to improve their products.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Simonson said that while construction has been hit by the same low-hire, low-fire conditions straining job growth, the industry faces more severe shortages from both an aging workforce and dwindling interest from younger generations.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
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That straining step concentrates what remains, producing the thicker texture and higher protein density Greek yogurt is known for.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
To harvest, use pruning shears, scissors, or a knife to cut cucumbers from the vine, rather than pulling them off, as tugging can harm the plant.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
23 May 2026
-
Before the film's presentation, the actress was seen playfully tugging at her husband's blazer.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
But Canty said that law enforcement arrived quickly and immediately began extracting people from the building.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
-
Many manufacturers invested heavily in connected equipment and data collection, only to discover that collecting data and extracting value from it are entirely different challenges.—
Joel Scutchfield,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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