as in stopping
to bring (something) to a standstill
the jockey tried to pull up the apparently injured horse
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Recent Examples of pulling up
The Gothic revival building sits on a corner lot near the Power & Light District, and pulling up to the valet station signals the start of a true city break.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Mar. 2026
Brunson hit Smith with four crossovers into a step-back two to bring the Knicks within two, then invited Eason to perform the Electric Slide before pulling up for the go-ahead two with less than 30 seconds in regulation.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
And so there’s Bobby, pulling up in a stretch limo from Memphis.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Down dirt roads and behind stands of oak trees in their neighborhood, pump jacks nodded up and down, pulling up oil.
—Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026
Udogie came off in the second half at Old Trafford after pulling up while running down the left wing.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
The same can be said for EVs pulling up next to a gas pump at a fuel station instead of a parking spot.
—Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
This type of snow forms when cold air moves over a warmer body of water, pulling up moisture and heat.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
Good continues to wave her hand from left to right after the Ford passes as two other officers are seen pulling up in an unmarked Nissan Titan pickup truck with flashing red and blue lights.
—Chris Looft, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Mar. 2026
Brunson hit Smith with four crossovers into a step-back two to bring the Knicks within two, then invited Eason to perform the Electric Slide before pulling up for the go-ahead two with less than 30 seconds in regulation.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
And so there’s Bobby, pulling up in a stretch limo from Memphis.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Down dirt roads and behind stands of oak trees in their neighborhood, pump jacks nodded up and down, pulling up oil.
—Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, 16 Feb. 2026
Udogie came off in the second half at Old Trafford after pulling up while running down the left wing.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
The same can be said for EVs pulling up next to a gas pump at a fuel station instead of a parking spot.
—Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
This type of snow forms when cold air moves over a warmer body of water, pulling up moisture and heat.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
Good continues to wave her hand from left to right after the Ford passes as two other officers are seen pulling up in an unmarked Nissan Titan pickup truck with flashing red and blue lights.
—Chris Looft, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling up
Verb
-
After Elmarko Jackson’s flagrant foul stopping a dunk in transition — the play was called a common foul but quickly upgraded to a flagrant-one — the Jayhawks and Sun Devils came together.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The car seemed to struggle to merge left into a turn lane, stopping about 30 feet short of the intersection and blocking a lane of traffic.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The children of these parents will be more likely to go to college and succeed in a career themselves, halting generational cycles of poverty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Asian markets fell sharply, with South Korea’s stock exchange briefly halting trading.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Republicans accused state officials of stalling on fraud, while Democrats highlighted harm from ICE operations affecting the state.—
Scott Bauer,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Some investors pointed to Nvidia's stalling $100 billion deal deal with OpenAI as a pain point for the stock.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In his third season as starter, Maiava won’t have the benefit of one of college football’s best pass-catching pairs at his disposal.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Besides not developing cancer, bats also resist catching infections, such as COVID, from other animals.—
Milly Dawson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By the time Frownland was finally completed, Ronald and Mary had started dating and gotten married, and everyone in their lives stopped asking about the status of the project in the way that people might avoid bringing up a recent bereavement.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
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His brother, sister-in-law, cousin and her husband will be bringing up the gifts at Mass Friday.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ryan was heavily involved with drawing up trick plays for former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and is lauded for his creativity.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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Certain assistants are also tasked with drawing up each opponents’ plays as part of weekly preparation.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This storage rack fits onto most car roof racks, capable of holding up to six pairs of skis or four snowboards.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
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Other Democrats protested by holding up signs and wearing statements on their clothing or walking out of the chamber altogether.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the near future, experts recommend postponing unnecessary travel if possible, checking refund or insurance policies and, most importantly, monitoring safety advisories.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Before heading to the airport, Morrow suggested checking your flight status with the airline and its rebooking policies.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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