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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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

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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

Each addition pulls another exchange function inside the brokerage perimeter, where it gets priced like brokerage. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 That’s because a full report pulls from all three credit bureaus. — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 Taylor Farms recall expands as the company pulls jalapeños from grocers across the nation including Trader Joe’s and Target. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 12 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 The vibes are awkward all around, and things only get weirder when Emira pulls Georgia aside to chat. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026 Replace Cabinet Hardware New drawer pulls, cabinet knobs, and even hinges can make quite the impact on your tired old kitchen cabinets. — Barbara Bellesi Zito, The Spruce, 5 Aug. 2026 The vandal approaches the statue, pulls the hammer from his pants pocket and strikes the Virgin Mary’s likeness one time. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 Soon, though, the musicians fill in the midrange with blushing chords and a bell-tone melody that pulls gently away from the root note, creating a gentle tension. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 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

Verb

Kyiv also claims Moscow is preparing an increase in recruitment for a new push on the front line that stretches 775 miles along eastern and southern Ukraine.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Basins and streams become elongated at larger scales, so that river networks have an inherent directionality that stretches toward the sea.

— Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of stretches

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

Global influences shine in Motek's Mediterranean Chicken Schnitzel and Döner Haus's authentic German street food.

— Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Updating her sound with trip-hop beats and techno influences, the album became one of Madonna’s most successful, with multiplatinum sales and three Grammy wins.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of influences

Noun

The edges of your lawn and garden provide the perfect habitat for these plants, while fences and retaining walls can give support to growing poison ivy vines.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Driver and Teller move through Queens and Brooklyn, surrounded by muted colors and hard edges of Gray’s New York, while the promise of easy money gives way to danger.

— Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of edges

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