1
as in hauling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in prying
to draw out by force or with effort
the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stretching
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
All of which is great news for Adam Silver and everyone else pulling a paycheck from the league.
—
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Seated calf raises can lower post-meal blood sugar spikes by gradually pulling glucose from the bloodstream.
—Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 26 Apr. 2026
Joao Neves of Paris Saint-Germain was sent off for pulling his hair in the Club World Cup, and Cristian Romero escaped without punishment for a hair-pull on Cucurella in 2022.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
And part of it is AI taking some of the tasks over, and part of that is companies investing in AI, and thus pulling back on other investments, including in personnel.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead, his car kept pulling toward the West Side Highway on the edge of the borough.
—Robert Ferris,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026
Even without the custom wrapping, just showing up ready to dig in the dirt with her — planting flowers, pulling weeds or repotting something together — turns an ordinary afternoon into quality time.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Bayern Munich goalscorer Franziska Kett was sent off for pulling hair in a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Of the Oilers’ stars, only Leon Draisaitl has been pulling his weight, leading the postseason in points through Friday’s games with six.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Seated calf raises can lower post-meal blood sugar spikes by gradually pulling glucose from the bloodstream.
—Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 26 Apr. 2026
Joao Neves of Paris Saint-Germain was sent off for pulling his hair in the Club World Cup, and Cristian Romero escaped without punishment for a hair-pull on Cucurella in 2022.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
And part of it is AI taking some of the tasks over, and part of that is companies investing in AI, and thus pulling back on other investments, including in personnel.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead, his car kept pulling toward the West Side Highway on the edge of the borough.
—Robert Ferris,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026
Even without the custom wrapping, just showing up ready to dig in the dirt with her — planting flowers, pulling weeds or repotting something together — turns an ordinary afternoon into quality time.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Bayern Munich goalscorer Franziska Kett was sent off for pulling hair in a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Of the Oilers’ stars, only Leon Draisaitl has been pulling his weight, leading the postseason in points through Friday’s games with six.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
-
The Russian freighter, known as Progress 95, is hauling about 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Literally hauling the extra weight of the wiring harness around, not giving the customer any benefit.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Most locks resist common workarounds, such as sawing, hammering or prying with a crowbar.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But will prying eyes across the interwebs ever learn the whole story?—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Reznik said while the San Gabriel River system and adjacent spreading grounds, stretching from Irwindale to Long Beach, work exceptionally well, capturing 90% of the local runoff that percolates into underground basins for later use, that’s not true of some other waterways in the county.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Completed in 1981 but recently updated, the five-bedroom, four-bath dwelling comes with white oak hardwood floors, wood-beam ceilings, wide arched doorways, and oversized picture windows overlooking bicoastal views stretching from Moloka’i to Lana’i.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a four-game span, the Philadelphia 76ers star received a technical foul for shoving Donte DiVincenzo, and flagrant fouls for dragging Mitchell Robinson to the floor and swiping Brunson in the head.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Throughout Orbán’s re-election campaign, the media controlled by his governing Fidesz party depicted Magyar as a reckless enemy of peace, bent on dragging Hungary into the war in neighboring Ukraine.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Supporters in labor unions and in the House soon began yanking their endorsements.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believed Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball should have been ejected after yanking on star center Bam Adebayo’s foot, causing an injury to his lower back.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Add ingredients to shaking tin and shake hard for 10 seconds then pour it directly into a rocks glass without straining.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Some audience members shout callouts, but not loudly or consistently enough to register, leaving the cast awkwardly straining to acknowledge jokes that barely land.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Having the peace of mind that your top won’t distract you by shifting or tugging makes bodysuits a worthwhile office attire investment.—
Kevin Huynh,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The nylon fabric is structured but not stiff, with enough stretch to handle a scramble without tugging at your knees.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anthropic and OpenAI have accused the startup of illegally extracting capabilities – or distilling – from their models.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
-
These developments signal a shift toward circular systems that reduce emissions while extracting value from existing materials.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
