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
Removing Existing Moss Since moss has no true root system, small areas of growth are easy to remove by simply raking or pulling up the moss.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
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
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling up
Verb
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Leave the resort to dine at Sunset Mona Lisa, a neighboring cliffside terrace where Mediterranean-leaning plates play second fiddle to the show-stopping tangerine-pink sunsets.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
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Arizona's prosecution comes shortly after Kalshi filed preemptive civil actions against Utah, Iowa and the Grand Canyon State in hopes of stopping those states from acting against the platform.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His comments came after Putin asked the government and companies to consider halting gas supplies to the European market without waiting for an import ban.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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That’s massively good news after his 2023 season ended early thanks to a ruptured Achilles in Week 12, halting what was looking to be his best professional season.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To protect these fragile machines, developers are supposed to invest in expensive battery storage or grid backups, ultimately driving up production costs and stalling the transition to affordable green fuel.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
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Rising oil prices are also likely to boost the costs of other goods, with the closed strait also stalling shipments of fertilizer ingredients and likely raising prices on household items that could hit consumers for months.—
Timothy Gardner,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But for most fans not wealthy enough to buy VIP ticket packages, catching a glimpse in-person required navigating a complicated and convoluted system just for the chance to pay high prices.—
Alex Mayyasi,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2026
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Scientists track meteors through a network of special cameras that help capture the night sky, but more members of the public are catching them on cellphones and security cameras of their own.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Wednesday, March 1, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer posted on X, bringing up the fact that the kidnapper is still at large and could go on to commit other crimes.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
12 Mar. 2026
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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
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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Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies -- claims that Zelenskyy denies.—
LORNE COOK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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The company said growing demand for power, supply chain and other issues holding up new power sources and plant outages contributed to the need to keep Comanche 2 open longer than planned.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Over the shoulder view of young Asian woman using smartphone, checking digital flight ticket and boarding pass on device screen while packing a suitcase on bed for a trip.—
Sydney Goh,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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Why, and how, a president engages in military action has serious implications for the constitutional authority of any wartime action and, specifically, whether Congress has any hope of checking the warmaking of a president.—
Charlie Hunt,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20up. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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