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
After Mexico suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Sweden, their hopes of advancing hinged on South Korea’s team pulling off an unlikely victory over Germany.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Season 2 takes some worthy swings that blend broad comedy with surprising emotional depth, all while pulling off some of TV’s most ambitious VFX feats across various sight gags.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 11 June 2026
Cuba is currently pulling off one of the fastest solar revolutions on the planet, with help from China, according to data from the energy think tank Ember.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Boston is still favored to advance and in Game 3 on the road, but the 76ers will have hope of pulling off the upset of the Eastern Conference favorites.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Except last season, when Christian McCaffrey started all 19 games and led the NFL in touches while almost pulling off the 1,000-yard rushing/receiving double-double.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
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
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
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Season 2 takes some worthy swings that blend broad comedy with surprising emotional depth, all while pulling off some of TV’s most ambitious VFX feats across various sight gags.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 11 June 2026
Cuba is currently pulling off one of the fastest solar revolutions on the planet, with help from China, according to data from the energy think tank Ember.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Boston is still favored to advance and in Game 3 on the road, but the 76ers will have hope of pulling off the upset of the Eastern Conference favorites.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Except last season, when Christian McCaffrey started all 19 games and led the NFL in touches while almost pulling off the 1,000-yard rushing/receiving double-double.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling off
Verb
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Inexperience didn't keep them from fulfilling their dream.—
Neha Bhatt,
NPR,
13 June 2026
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Morningstar is bearish because of the low odds of SpaceX fulfilling promises such as making its latest rocket as reusable as an airplane and running AI data centers in space that are cheaper and more effective than the ones on earth.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The exponential return on our positively performing company outweighs the losers.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Pop stars Katy Perry and Tius Luka helped kick off the festivities, performing during the tournament’s opening ceremony before the United States faced Paraguay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Autonomous agents are now executing these actions independently.—
Jeffrey Highman,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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New York police executing a search warrant raided an LGBTQ+ bar called the Stonewall Inn, and some of the patrons resisted as officers continued interrogating them and bar employees.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Cultural values such as achieving harmony between cultures; and slow, gracious [economic] growth.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
13 June 2026
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Both Soliches were recipients of that award, which is a full-tuition and housing scholarship for high-achieving caddies.—
Max Scheinblum,
Denver Post,
13 June 2026
Verb
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In the face of accomplishing history, the Knicks started off ice cold.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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So what’s Aiyuk accomplishing by bashing the 49ers repeatedly on social media?—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Israel began carrying out a wave of powerful strikes across southern Lebanon following the incident.—
Lou Robinson,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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Officials said one defendant, Heriberto Rodriguez of Framingham, Massachusetts, is accused of carrying out more than $546,000 in benefit fraud involving MassHealth, Social Security, housing assistance and SNAP benefits.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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New York survived the scramble by controlling the glass and doing just enough at the free-throw line.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Several have interest in doing so now.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
Verb
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The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
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Thinking of spending or making money?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20off. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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