1
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a powerful storm pulled down the old fishing shack, which had been immortalized in countless paintings
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demolishing
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
an ugly billboard that was eventually pulled down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in earning
to receive as return for effort
he's pulling down six figures at that job
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulling down
Dunn led the Trojans with a season-high 29 points while pulling down five rebounds.
—
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Jan. 2026
The person, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said they were punched in the face after pulling down an officer’s mask who was dragging them out of the vehicle.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
In Weckback’s absence, junior Jazmyn Bugg hit the glass hard, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with nine points.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
Weiss began pulling down as much as $150,000 per engagement, a point of contention in the pro-Israel space, where advocates give speeches for free.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Many airlines are pulling down their operations at Newark, Bastian said, which reduces some of the congestion at the airport.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Everybody along the defensive line shows up, and the edge players do a nice job of coming in and pulling down running backs from behind before they can be pushed through the pile.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
In that instance, offensive guard Daniel Brunskill missed on a block of Bills defensive lineman Deone Walker that sped up Tagovailoa’s throw to Jaylen Waddle, which linebacker Terrel Bernard stepped in front of, pulling down a turnover in the game’s final three minutes while Miami trailed 28-21.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
However, where iOS 7 applied a flatter, minimalist effect to windows and icons and their edges, iOS 26 adds a (sometimes frosted) glassy look and a mildly fluid movement to actions such as pulling down menus or long-pressing controls.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Jan. 2026
The person, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said they were punched in the face after pulling down an officer’s mask who was dragging them out of the vehicle.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
In Weckback’s absence, junior Jazmyn Bugg hit the glass hard, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with nine points.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
Weiss began pulling down as much as $150,000 per engagement, a point of contention in the pro-Israel space, where advocates give speeches for free.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Many airlines are pulling down their operations at Newark, Bastian said, which reduces some of the congestion at the airport.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Everybody along the defensive line shows up, and the edge players do a nice job of coming in and pulling down running backs from behind before they can be pushed through the pile.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
In that instance, offensive guard Daniel Brunskill missed on a block of Bills defensive lineman Deone Walker that sped up Tagovailoa’s throw to Jaylen Waddle, which linebacker Terrel Bernard stepped in front of, pulling down a turnover in the game’s final three minutes while Miami trailed 28-21.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
However, where iOS 7 applied a flatter, minimalist effect to windows and icons and their edges, iOS 26 adds a (sometimes frosted) glassy look and a mildly fluid movement to actions such as pulling down menus or long-pressing controls.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling down
Verb
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Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Cannon-Grant was well-known in activist circles in Boston, earning numerous awards, including Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year award and a Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us award, both in 2020 amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Only seven units are market rate while the remainder are reserved for residents earning 30%, 50% and 60% of the area median income.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In fact, for some items, a standard cold wash can be ruining.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Dodgers’ $240-million signing of Kyle Tucker revived anguished cries that the team is ruining baseball.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday morning, fire department trucks were tearing down the affected side of the building, which was entirely blackened and hollowed out from the flames.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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Four men escaped the facility by tearing down one of the building’s walls.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot?—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Riera, 43, was previously in charge of Slovenia’s side NK Celje, winning the domestic cup last season and racing 10 points clear at the top of the league in this one, and began work officially on Monday.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This set from the Good Grips collection is made of borosilicate glass, which is food-safe like standard glass, but also more resistant to heat—meaning it can be taken out of the freezer and popped straight into the microwave to reheat leftovers without shattering.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
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Both films feature an early phone call which is clearly shattering for their characters.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The money flowing into AI and new technology has been a major source of debate on Wall Street as investors increasingly want to see that companies are reaping rewards from the massive spending over the last year.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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The North Stars are reaping the benefits of all that hard work.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20down. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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