pulling down

Definition of pulling downnext
present participle of pull down
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
3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pulling down Jayden Boyd scored 9 points, but was a fiend on the boards pulling down 13 rebounds. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026 The 5-foot-7 Burzycki was good to go Thursday night, pulling down 11 rebounds to go with five points for the Vikings in a 55-42 nonconference win over host Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox. Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026 But 6-foot-8 Eric Lopez kicked up his game, pulling down 14 rebounds and blocking nine shots. Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling down
Verb
  • The firestorm ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing 31, destroying more than 16,000 structures and contaminating others with toxins and heavy metals.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Special prosecutors indict Kim Keon Hee and former Prime Minister Han on charges of abetting Yoon’s imposition of martial law, falsifying and destroying official documents and lying under oath.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Converting Gary Works to an Electric Arc Furnace facility would mean shutting down the entire plant, demolishing it, and building new facilities.
    Tara Molina, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The plans accommodate through-running train capacity without demolishing the neighborhood south of Penn.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The announcement adds to a slate of MileagePlus changes that tie perks and earning power to credit-card relationships.
    Sri Taylor, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Now, Riyadh hosts music concerts, desert raves, and a store where non-Muslims earning more than $159,000 a year are allowed to buy alcohol.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Doomscrolling was ruining my life.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Wednesday was a repeat, with flies and rodent poop ruining the callback inspection.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Instead of tearing down the brick, crews constructed internal walls to keep the outside brick facade through historical preservation techniques.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Just over a year ago in Syria, when Bashar al-Assad’s rule ended, demonstrations of joy erupted all over the country and in many cases focused on tearing down images of him and his father.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • For San Diego State, winning the Mountain West women’s swimming and diving championship last week was a perfect way to say farewell to the conference.
    Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
  • For a kid from Riverside, if that game-winning layup was his dream shot, his performance against the rival Trojans was his dream night.
    Aaron Heisen, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • And, showcasing their awesome, frightening power, one avalanche derailed a train in Switzerland on Monday, injuring five on board, while another swept through a refuge on a French mountainside earlier this month, shattering windows and dumping snowdrifts inside the building’s kitchen.
    Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
  • His head reportedly struck the tree, shattering his helmet.
    Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Instead of early innovators reaping monopoly pricing power until rivals erode that lead, fierce competition among large language model developers has driven their prices toward zero for end-users.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
  • At the end of the 19th century, the United States took the island by force and set up its own lucrative sugar colony, with mainland corporations controlling a significant share of production and reaping massive profits.
    Andrew R. Chow, Time, 9 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pulling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20down. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

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