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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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

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

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 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

The move pulls back on the city’s previous decision to eliminate parking minimums in 2022 to help encourage development. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026 The funding will help CAEPlus develop BoundaryCool, a system that pulls heat away from graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), and tensor processing units (TPUs) using active liquid cooling. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026 The processor wakes up, pulls that data back out, runs inference, writes results back to memory and sends output somewhere else. — David Schie, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 In the episode, Claudia Ferri and Kristen Wiig go all out and get into a fight after Raquel (Ferri) pulls a gun on Maxine (Wiig). — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026 Read on for more can’t-miss clearance picks, including a reclining loveseat, a three-piece table set, and a sleek storage bench that pulls double duty. — Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2026 This theft rug-pulls the entire star, causing the core to collapse. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026 The magnetic field pulls a launch shuttle down the track, bringing the aircraft with it. — Stephen J. Beard, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 Lee loves Francis more than anything in the world, but the urgency of this new case pulls him away from her more often than either of them would like. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026

Noun

Io is repeatedly squeezed and stretched by Jupiter and the gravitational pulls of neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026 The exquisite scenery is also one of the show’s biggest pulls. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026 Highlights are monster truck rides, truck and tractor pulls, in addition to the fireworks. — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 With its rounded edges and carved-in handle pulls, the brand’s Adel sideboard can fit into your space in a number of ways, whether as a stylish TV stand or a modern entryway piece to greet visitors. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 July 2026 Use a custom combination of brass, bronze, rose gold, copper, silver, chrome, or black metal on cabinet pulls, knobs, faucets, lighting, or appliances. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 July 2026 The promotion dropped on Monday, June 29 and almost immediately, the original $150,000 budget allocated to the promotion was drained —covering some 25,000 pulls. — Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Irwin, who is the sister of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Trent Irwin, recorded 94 flag pulls and 15 interceptions as a safety. — Dan Albano, Oc Register, 26 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls

Verb

Even if the House hauls the budget resolution forward, Johnson’s strategy faces uncertainty in the Senate.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
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

Definition of hauls

Verb

Johnson yanks veterans' benefits package An effort to advance a package of VA benefits bills this morning on the House floor went down in flames – the latest in Speaker Mike Johnson's struggle to get Republicans on the same page.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 16 July 2026
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

Definition of yanks

Noun

The European Investment Bank (EIB) estimates that roughly 200 wrecks, including warships, barges, tugs, and cargo vessels, remain scattered across a five-kilometer stretch of the river near Prahovo.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
Momentus’ spacecraft can also serve as space tugs to ferry smaller satellites or experiments from one orbit to another.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of tugs

Noun

Once late payment influences decisions, the issue extends beyond an administrative working-capital discipline question.

— Andreas Schweitzer, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
As seen with Raye and Dean, London cool-girl style meets retro jazz crooner is an aesthetic that’s become ubiquitous among the rising crop of London singers and songwriters with jazz influences.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

Some of those embassy staff may start returning to their posts soon, however the State Department is still limiting the number of personnel in the Middle East as the war in Iran drags on.

— Greg Dixon, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026
But after years of unprecedented contributions to astronomy, the forces governing the cosmos are finally taking their toll as Earth’s gravitational pull slowly drags the telescope closer towards a point of no return.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of drags

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