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
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
An impact player on both sides of the ball from Day 1, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound all-state pick is back for a third varsity letter after reeling in 37 balls for 674 yards on offense and pulling down two more passes for picks on defense.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025
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
An impact player on both sides of the ball from Day 1, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound all-state pick is back for a third varsity letter after reeling in 37 balls for 674 yards on offense and pulling down two more passes for picks on defense.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling down
Verb
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The former screen siren was fined nearly $25,000 in 2008 after being convicted of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying her country.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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Block destruction is one of Minter’s defensive pillars, and the Chargers have not been destroying blocks on some of these explosive runs.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Barner holds his arms parallel to the ground and swings them side to side while slowly stomping forward like Godzilla demolishing a city.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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Often, demolishing a former shopping mall can be easier for builders who might then decide to build luxury housing that does not address the current affordability crisis.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gehman, then a graduate student earning a doctorate in disease ecology, had heard about a mysterious illness sweeping through the Pacific coast’s iconic invertebrates.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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The role players swung the Pacers’ season — and thus, even with Tyrese Haliburton earning All-NBA accolades, the role players determined the conference.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Be sure to allow 20-30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark, and use a red light if needed in order to avoid ruining your night vision.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Last offseason, the narrative that the Los Angeles Dodgers were ruining baseball was born.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An Illinois State University faculty member was arrested after he was accused of flipping a Turning Point USA student group's table and tearing down promotional flyers on campus last week.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
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Jaclyn Penn was disappointed to see the Leawood City Council vote in favor of tearing down the old City Hall building.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The combo is a winning recipe that has kept this neighborhood favorite happily busy since 1993.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
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On one hand, winning another chip will be at the forefront, so managing players toward the end of the regular season would be logical.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The first of the live-action adaptations arrived in November 2024, shattering box-office records.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
20 Oct. 2025
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The latter outlet, an NBC affiliate, reported that two bullets came through the window of his bedroom, shattering it in the process.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The newest story in the Hunger Games franchise — based on Suzanne Collins‘ best-selling novel — takes place in Panem on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, 24 years before the events of the first movie.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
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The garden is still reaping the fruit of its foundation, too, as the natural dye garden was established over a decade ago.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pulling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20down. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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