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
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Recent Examples of pulls
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
This trilogy pulls you into a nostalgic Holmes and Watson relationship between the main characters.
—Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
An avalanche airbag backpack that inflates after the skier pulls the trigger giving the person a chance to stay above or close to the surface during an avalanche.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
June 21 – July 22 A gentle wave pulls your thoughts outward at this time.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
The simple act of matching shapes and colors pulls your attention back to what’s right in front of you.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
But Manso consistently pulls rebounds away from taller players, scores inside and makes plays that amaze his teammates.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The year 2025 saw the release of Mariam Rahmani’s Liquid, a novel about a scholar in Los Angeles who vows to go on 100 dates to find a husband before a family tragedy pulls her to Tehran.
—Hafsa Lodi, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026
Carolyn pulls him in for a kiss.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
Kids clutched fresh pulls like lottery tickets.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 23 Feb. 2026
Matchup zones, schematic chair-pulls, deep drop coverages and hard hedges and a bit of everything in between.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Carney is leading his own effort to form, in effect, a third superpower that can resist the gravitational pulls of both the United States and China.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
To make a statement with the hardware, Ballard suggests more artistic pulls.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
The claim is that being around it for years could weaken tendons and soft tissue, leading to more ACL tears, Achilles injuries, hamstring pulls and similar issues.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Changing architectural details like the shower fittings, faucets, cabinet knobs and drawer pulls can make a basic bathroom look far more refined and considered.
—Nomita Vaish-Taylor, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
Each sub-agent starts with fresh context rather than accumulating information in a single conversation thread, enabling larger pulls across multiple sources and longer tasks without hitting context limits.
—Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
The system pulls from deep property data, 3D Matterport tours, neighborhood insights and proprietary school data to guide you.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
This trilogy pulls you into a nostalgic Holmes and Watson relationship between the main characters.
—Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
An avalanche airbag backpack that inflates after the skier pulls the trigger giving the person a chance to stay above or close to the surface during an avalanche.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
June 21 – July 22 A gentle wave pulls your thoughts outward at this time.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
The simple act of matching shapes and colors pulls your attention back to what’s right in front of you.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
But Manso consistently pulls rebounds away from taller players, scores inside and makes plays that amaze his teammates.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The year 2025 saw the release of Mariam Rahmani’s Liquid, a novel about a scholar in Los Angeles who vows to go on 100 dates to find a husband before a family tragedy pulls her to Tehran.
—Hafsa Lodi, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026
Carolyn pulls him in for a kiss.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
A little soapy water can help remove grease and dirt, as well as fingerprints from knobs and pulls.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
Kids clutched fresh pulls like lottery tickets.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 23 Feb. 2026
Matchup zones, schematic chair-pulls, deep drop coverages and hard hedges and a bit of everything in between.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Carney is leading his own effort to form, in effect, a third superpower that can resist the gravitational pulls of both the United States and China.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
To make a statement with the hardware, Ballard suggests more artistic pulls.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
The claim is that being around it for years could weaken tendons and soft tissue, leading to more ACL tears, Achilles injuries, hamstring pulls and similar issues.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Changing architectural details like the shower fittings, faucets, cabinet knobs and drawer pulls can make a basic bathroom look far more refined and considered.
—Nomita Vaish-Taylor, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
Each sub-agent starts with fresh context rather than accumulating information in a single conversation thread, enabling larger pulls across multiple sources and longer tasks without hitting context limits.
—Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls
Verb
-
After the gating email, Otto hauls Harper in for a talking-to.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Global warming could doom them Under no light but the stars, a green sea turtle hauls herself out of the surf and onto the familiar sand of Alagadi Beach on the northern coast of Cyprus.—
Elizabeth Preston,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Suddenly, someone in the audience yanks her violently into the screaming mass of people.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Its work stretches through local parishes and communities, encouraging welcoming environments for everyone, disabled and non-disabled alike.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The elevated risk stretches from West Texas into North Texas, then extends east and south toward Houston.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As part of its support service to the Royal Navy, Serco intends to purchase 24 vessels, including a mix of ASD tugs, reverse-stern-drive tugs, pilot boats, barges, and crane barges, for which the contract was awarded to Dutch defence manufacturer Damen.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
This approach also tackles corners and edges that a hose attachment can’t quite reach.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea.—
Matthew Ritchie,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Even the managers can recognize when a game drags.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 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
-
Privacy advocates argue that any ambiguity around storage or deletion timelines weakens public confidence.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Sending young people far from home weakens support systems and makes outcomes worse.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulls. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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