pulls 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of pull
1
as in hauls
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
3
as in stretches
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle

Synonyms & Similar Words

pulls

2 of 2

noun

plural of pull
1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pulls
Verb
Shoppers are gravitating toward scents that double as emotional rituals, whether that means a warm vanilla, a sweet caramel or a fruit-and-cream gourmand that pulls double duty as a comfort scent. Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026 The Ed Sullivan Theater, the crowd is full, the curtain pulls, people are cheering, and David Letterman walks out. Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 June 2026 And yet his reasoning pulls us past that same moral boundary with him. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 June 2026 Legend says a ghostly force pulls cars uphill, though science offers a less supernatural explanation. Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 16 June 2026 But the game takes a turn when Rulla pulls a question about the most embarrassing thing your partner has ever done in public. Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 June 2026 Localized flash-flooding is possible as far east as the Tennessee and Ohio valleys and the central Appalachians as a new cold front pulls the tropical moisture farther north and eastward. Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 15 June 2026 But 1990's Ghost, which is barely half-good, pulls this sort of New Age hooey better. Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026 Spark's Secret Weapon Is Google's Data Advantage Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature pulls relevant information from other Google services, such as an email in Gmail or your watch history on YouTube, to better respond to prompts. Ruben Circelli, PC Magazine, 13 June 2026
Noun
Metadata, logs and API pulls confirm a token was spent and a call was made. Mark Hull, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Borcherding recommends making sure that the mounting hole width lines up with your existing pulls. Jane Kim, The Spruce, 11 June 2026 Paint the walls, opt for an interesting wallpaper pattern, replace the toilet and vanity, swap out tacky old hardware for stylish knobs and pulls, and install new light fixtures. Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 June 2026 Schrader suggests wiping down cabinetry knobs or pulls, light switches, and doorknobs at least once a month to make your home more sanitary. Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 June 2026 The leather is accented by tonal crimson suede paisley cutouts and the style also includes extra short Western earn pulls with bullet pull holes. Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 22 May 2026 So finding a cheap route to the moon has a lot to do with gravity, specifically the gravitational pulls of both Earth and the moon. Julian Dossett, Space.com, 20 May 2026 Hock led the Cobras in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns this season while sophomore Tatiana Alicea led in total flag pulls. Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2026 Instead, the spacecraft first swings closer to the moon before entering a gravitational pathway around a special region called the L1 Lagrange point, where Earth’s and the moon’s gravitational pulls balance each other. Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls
Verb
  • Having already been booked for a foul on Brobbey, Fofana hauls down Wilson Isidor and earns his club’s eighth red card of the Premier League season.
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 24 May 2026
  • According to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the Thunderbirds cost taxpayers about $35 million a year in salaries, aircraft, fuel, rehearsals and the C-17 cargo plane that hauls 50-plus support crew and spare parts to every stop on the tour.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
  • Maden takes thee wine bottle from him and the officers reach for his wrists but Brown resists and yanks his arms back, the video shows.
    Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The patriarch’s younger son, Abhay, thirty-nine, and his family live on the top floor in a spacious, breezy apartment that commands a fine view of Dhakuria Lake, which stretches away into the distance, flanking Southern Avenue.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
  • Your optimistic nature thrives on movement, so choose an inspiring route and ask bigger questions while wonder stretches your thinking.
    Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026
  • Its tech is being used to power the world’s first electric tugs that are about to go into service at the Port of Long Beach, under a deal worth $160 million announced in late 2025.
    Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • The band, whose diverse musical influences included the Ramones, David Bowie and OMD, formed in 1983 after Susan and Jade moved to New York City.
    David Chiu, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
  • Ortatepe said that the restaurant’s myriad influences — Greek, Turkish, Anatolian, Levantine — mesh with creating a space where culture connects guests.
    Connie Ogle June 19, Miami Herald, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2026
  • Rainwater tends to stockpile on the edges of roads.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • The rest of the film drags, the pacing falters, and the story inches toward a mediocre conclusion.
    Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
  • Expectations of higher oil prices as the war drags on have kept long-term bond yields elevated, causing mortgage rates to mostly trend higher.
    Alex Veiga, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • There are swooping close encounters with heavenly bodies, Lego blocks in antigravity mode and swarms of Separators, a sort of astro-anthropomorphic version of the tool that pries apart Lego bricks in real life.
    Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The show’s biggest laugh may come when Testa pries open Costanzo’s mouth and pronounces just how many performances of Norma Galas has left.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pulls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulls. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

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