PULLS Synonyms: 178 Similar and Opposite Words

pulls 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pull

as in hauls

to cause to follow by applying steady force on a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon

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Relevance

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as in yanks

to draw out by force or with effort the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth

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as in stretches

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle

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pulls

2 of 2

noun

plural of pull

as in tugs

the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force I gave the door such a pull that when it suddenly opened, I nearly fell backwards

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as in sways

the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly their lawyer supposedly has a lot of pull with the administration in Washington

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as in edges

the more favorable condition or position in a competition a political candidate with all of the pull that comes with a vast fortune and famous surname

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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 pulls

Verb

Napoleon is in his head guiding him, and partway through, another voice joins that pulls him somewhere else entirely. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Stoliker also points out that there’s evidence that giving someone a task mid-trip pulls them out of the state—a phenomenon researchers sometimes call grounding. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026 Paige, who used to play in professional tournaments, pushes the putt only to be one-upped by her partner who pulls her putt to the left. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Instead of pushing off the ground, the motor essentially pulls the robot upward, with a pulley and two strings helping to launch it. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026 What makes this setup unusual is not that Epic pulls heat out of the ground in winter – ordinary ground-source heat pumps do that in homes across the country. — Moones Alamooti, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 An oil-in-serum pulls the nourishment of oil into a lighter, serum-style formula. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026 As Béatrice’s amateur detective work pulls her in deeper, the strands begin to suggest a conspiracy, one marked by mysterious disappearances and the clandestine sway of the Vatican. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 One officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and fires into the windshield. — Kathy McCormack, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Noun

Just as the first drag of a cigarette hits better than the pulls that follow it, there’s a real chance that a lie down on a 2000T will never be as pleasurable as the first time. — Jaklin Romine oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 In the video, Porizkova can be seen doing exercises such as hammer curls, cable pulls, deadlifts, pull-ups, lunges and others. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 All animal pull events were canceled on Saturday and Sunday for the safety of the animals and their equipment, and all tractor and truck pulls were canceled for Saturday. — Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026 Ferguson Home specializes in the kinds of pulls and knobs that will have guests inquiring about the finishes rather than the furniture itself. — Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026 These tokens fell sharply in the days after their debuts and quickly drew accusations of being rug pulls, a crypto term for projects in which insiders abruptly sell large holdings, leaving other investors with steep losses. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 The pulls of our star and planet equal the centripetal force needed for a smaller object to stay in place. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026 Clean the Hardware Before cleaning the handles, knobs, or drawer pulls, consider the hardware material. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 1 Sep. 2026 Because knobs and pulls are handled frequently, clean and degrease them thoroughly before painting. — Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls

Verb

The industry, which hauls 70% of all freight in America, has taken the biggest hit after the war with Iran sent fuel prices soaring.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Nevertheless, 2022’s Scream, revs the engine of the Scream 4, then hauls it in overdrive when more murderous mayhem storms through Woodsboro.

— Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of hauls

Verb

Not far from my home on the western shore of Lake Champlain lies the ore bed that in 1875 produced 10 percent of America’s iron ore; the #21 pit, once storied, stretches two hundred feet wide and three hundred feet deep.

— Bill McKibben, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Its border with Yemen stretches more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) through rugged desert areas.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of stretches

Noun

Eggs are suggested as an easy entry point, using about a teaspoon instead of butter or oil to cook one egg for crisp edges and a richer flavor.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
More snaps mean more sack opportunities — but also more responsibility, not just as a pass rusher but also in defending the run and ensuring that edges are sealed and pockets are contained.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of edges

Verb

However, Fed officials fear that the longer the war drags on, the higher the likelihood that the spike will make its way through the broader economy and become embedded in consumer and business expectations.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

By fields of cotton and soybeans where his bees forage and pollinate, Foster Hensel pries open the lid of one of his beehives, setting off a rising hum from inside.

— Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Remove the 11 Philips-head screws on the bottom of the laptop, and its bottom pries up with a bit of pressure.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026