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
as in yanks
to draw out by force or with effort
the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pulls
Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Inside, tender beef meatballs sit in a bright, zippy marinara that pulls everything into focus.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
In most cases, marigolds are the helper in the companion plant relationship, but garlic pulls its weight too.
—Heather Bien, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
Can Amazon scale fast enough to compete before Starlink pulls further ahead?
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Just as Earth’s gravity pulls baseballs to the ground after they are thrown, all masses exert a gravitational force on other masses.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
And inside this clump of matter, gravitation pulls things inwards, but the heat of the moving particles provides an outward pressure (which is a force over an area), gas pressure, that works to counteract the effects of gravitation.
—Big Think, 24 Apr. 2026
The three-story W Atrium, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and natural light, pulls double duty as an event space and production backdrop, attracting film and content crews.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
There is computer vision software that pulls measurable stats from grainy scouting footage.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Swapping cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and towel hooks is a fast way to modernize the space.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Update Your Mirror or Hardware Swapping cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and towel hooks is a quick project that refreshes the room without a renovation.
—Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Kylie, meanwhile, had some fun with both vintage pulls and merch.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2026
Emotional rug-pulls arrive in the form of happy surprises that stretch the third act too long and test the limits of our disbelief.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
Emotional rug-pulls arrive in the form of happy surprises that stretch the third act too long and test the limits of our disbelief.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
Sheer and lace curtains should be hand-washed in cool water or placed in a mesh laundry bag in a washing machine to prevent snags and pulls.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 11 Mar. 2026
Ceiling dryers with cable pulls or rail systems can be pulled down as required and then pushed back up to the ceiling.
—Melissa Grustat, Architectural Digest, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
Sometimes a person opens the top of their skull to reach inside; in her painting Threading the Story Through the Eye of a Needle (circa 1974), a hand pulls a line of thread through a pupil, towing two tiny people in a boat, suggesting both sight and an idea made manifest.
—Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Inside, tender beef meatballs sit in a bright, zippy marinara that pulls everything into focus.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
In most cases, marigolds are the helper in the companion plant relationship, but garlic pulls its weight too.
—Heather Bien, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026
Can Amazon scale fast enough to compete before Starlink pulls further ahead?
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Just as Earth’s gravity pulls baseballs to the ground after they are thrown, all masses exert a gravitational force on other masses.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
And inside this clump of matter, gravitation pulls things inwards, but the heat of the moving particles provides an outward pressure (which is a force over an area), gas pressure, that works to counteract the effects of gravitation.
—Big Think, 24 Apr. 2026
The three-story W Atrium, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and natural light, pulls double duty as an event space and production backdrop, attracting film and content crews.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
There is computer vision software that pulls measurable stats from grainy scouting footage.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
His workout also consists of cable pulls, hanging leg raises, ab wheel rollouts and more.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Swapping cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and towel hooks is a fast way to modernize the space.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Update Your Mirror or Hardware Swapping cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and towel hooks is a quick project that refreshes the room without a renovation.
—Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Kylie, meanwhile, had some fun with both vintage pulls and merch.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2026
Emotional rug-pulls arrive in the form of happy surprises that stretch the third act too long and test the limits of our disbelief.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
Emotional rug-pulls arrive in the form of happy surprises that stretch the third act too long and test the limits of our disbelief.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026
Sheer and lace curtains should be hand-washed in cool water or placed in a mesh laundry bag in a washing machine to prevent snags and pulls.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 11 Mar. 2026
Ceiling dryers with cable pulls or rail systems can be pulled down as required and then pushed back up to the ceiling.
—Melissa Grustat, Architectural Digest, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls
Verb
-
Now, the price shock from the war with Iran has become yet another headache for the beleaguered industry that hauls 70% of all freight in America.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
After lowering the helicopter to the water's surface, a flight crew member grabs the dog and hauls the pet aboard.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Leaphorn yanks the jug his way (despite being cuffed) and is able to put the filter packet down his pants.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Noriega, the analyst, said that the amount companies are paying to cross the Panama Canal may continue to go up if the conflict stretches on, as oil prices are already skyrocketing.—
Alma Solís,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Announced Tuesday, the official feature competition includes 11 films, with France again playing an outsized role — six of the titles are French productions or co-productions — even as the selection stretches across Asia and the Americas.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The ships represented by red shapes are tankers, while green shapes represent cargo ships and light blue ones are tugs, service or military vessels.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In space, the gravitational tugs from passing planets act like those currents.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bring foil edges together to make a packet; crimp to seal tightly.—
Kendra Vaculin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Bake for 12–14 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The trio pulled up on e-bikes, drove up to the entrance of the Information Center and began shouting and taking pictures, pausing to take drags off a vape while peering through the shuttered doors.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Work fewer than 35 years and the SSA plugs zeros into the missing slots, which drags your benefit down.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 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
Verb
-
Expanding nonmedical exemptions, however, weakens the very protections those medically vulnerable children depend on.—
Sarah Marsicek,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Critics say allowing the department to delay or sideline state investigations weakens one of the last independent checks on government lawyers.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulls. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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