as in fulfilling
to carry through (as a process) to completion
the rebel forces pulled off a surprisingly successful offensive against the better equipped government troops
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Recent Examples of pulling off
On a recent Thursday morning, cars whizzed over the bridge with several vehicles pulling off on the side of the road to visit Long's doughnut line.
—
Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
In California, the law prevents incumbents from pulling off the kind of underhanded stunt that Garcia and Daines managed.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Down 23 points at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Brooklyn still found a way to beat the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, pulling off the fifth-largest comeback in franchise history and avoiding a season sweep.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
There's nothing the couple loves more than pulling off the road to enjoy a local diner or small clam shack.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2026
Shenzhen is likened to a vibrant harbor for dreamers, and the hotel is pulling off the feat of becoming a gathering place for tech professionals and financial elites.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
What’s more American than pulling off a victory after a kick in the teeth?
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The Miami quarterback was minutes removed from throwing the game-sealing interception that ended UM’s chances of pulling off a comeback to win their sixth national title.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2026
So who and what is Palm Tree Crew, the mysterious entity that’s pulling off the events Billy McFarland could only dream of?
—Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 21 Jan. 2026
Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
In California, the law prevents incumbents from pulling off the kind of underhanded stunt that Garcia and Daines managed.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Down 23 points at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Brooklyn still found a way to beat the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, pulling off the fifth-largest comeback in franchise history and avoiding a season sweep.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
There's nothing the couple loves more than pulling off the road to enjoy a local diner or small clam shack.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2026
Shenzhen is likened to a vibrant harbor for dreamers, and the hotel is pulling off the feat of becoming a gathering place for tech professionals and financial elites.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
What’s more American than pulling off a victory after a kick in the teeth?
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The Miami quarterback was minutes removed from throwing the game-sealing interception that ended UM’s chances of pulling off a comeback to win their sixth national title.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2026
So who and what is Palm Tree Crew, the mysterious entity that’s pulling off the events Billy McFarland could only dream of?
—Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling off
Verb
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Randhawa began fulfilling orders herself, sourcing ingredients from local stores and handing off jars in Manhattan parks during her lunch break.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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These plays, Towns says, are just as important, just as fulfilling to his game as putting 30 points or 20 rebounds on the board.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The six-member girl group, currently performing as a five-member group, as member Manon is on hiatus, made their Coachella debut on Friday.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Several acts who have been plying their musical craft since the 1960s and are still performing well over half a century later are visiting Connecticut this week.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In addition to executing the warrants, law enforcement agents served 20 retailers with administrative charging letters issued by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service for SNAP trafficking and program violations.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The robots are responsible for executing precision loading and unloading tasks.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Humanity has never built an outpost on a world beyond Earth before, after all, so achieving that grand vision will be a heavy lift.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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In my view, understanding the obstacles to change is a critical step toward achieving this goal.—
Marie Helweg-Larsen,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The greatest scorer in NBA history and his 21-year-old son have been teammates for nearly two years, but the prospect of accomplishing a new first is still special to both generations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Best of luck accomplishing your goals today, and of course, do keep in touch.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Duprey's death came as Duran and other narcotics officers were carrying out an undercover drug bust in the Bronx in 2023.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Artist Davide Balula had three performers, clad in black and white, dancing in slow motion, apparently carrying out directives for how to arrange themselves that appeared on a screen, as if in a high-concept version of the old Milton Bradley game Twister.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even the Altitude Edition with the black wheels -- at the time no one was really doing that.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The authority on gardening in the South loved doing live shows and meeting his fans.—
Rodney Ho,
AJC.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s what really brings me satisfaction in making art.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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And falling into just following a viral recipe, but not making other modifications, doesn't actually support baseline and metabolic health.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20off. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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