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

During meiosis, a structure called the spindle forms, which lines the chromosomes up and eventually pulls them apart. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026 The question of who pulls more cross-over voters and independents could determine whether Democrats win back any significant power in Tallahassee. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026 Additionally, a small table seats two and pulls double duty for both dining and working. — New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026 The fan pulls air through the filters and pushes out cleaner air than came in. — John Alexander, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026 As the evening air pulls downward, scent collects and pools in the lowest points of the landscape. — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2026 AwareCA pulls evacuation updates and fire perimeter maps from official sources in near-real time and allows local fire and police departments to post updates directly. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 When Traoré’s speed pulls a defender toward the rim, a cutter can slip behind the help, or a shooter can find daylight on the perimeter. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 30 Oct. 2026 Frequently, though, Nazario pulls us back into the reality of our moment. — David MacK, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Noun

Just as the first drag of a cigarette hits better than the pulls that follow it, there’s a real chance that a lie down on a 2000T will never be as pleasurable as the first time. — Jaklin Romine oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 In the video, Porizkova can be seen doing exercises such as hammer curls, cable pulls, deadlifts, pull-ups, lunges and others. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 All animal pull events were canceled on Saturday and Sunday for the safety of the animals and their equipment, and all tractor and truck pulls were canceled for Saturday. — Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026 Ferguson Home specializes in the kinds of pulls and knobs that will have guests inquiring about the finishes rather than the furniture itself. — Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026 These tokens fell sharply in the days after their debuts and quickly drew accusations of being rug pulls, a crypto term for projects in which insiders abruptly sell large holdings, leaving other investors with steep losses. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 The pulls of our star and planet equal the centripetal force needed for a smaller object to stay in place. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026 Clean the Hardware Before cleaning the handles, knobs, or drawer pulls, consider the hardware material. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 1 Sep. 2026 Because knobs and pulls are handled frequently, clean and degrease them thoroughly before painting. — Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls

Verb

The industry, which hauls 70% of all freight in America, has taken the biggest hit after the war with Iran sent fuel prices soaring.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Nevertheless, 2022’s Scream, revs the engine of the Scream 4, then hauls it in overdrive when more murderous mayhem storms through Woodsboro.

— Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of hauls

Verb

Raman, by contrast, saw a 49% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in her district, which stretches from Silver Lake to Reseda.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
What happened to them, and why Jonah remains obsessed with this one unsolved case, are details that get slowly dripped out, like in every other sad-dad detective show that stretches a movie-length premise over 10 hourlong episodes.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of stretches

Noun

Nothing about Capra is weirder, to be honest, than the way in which, from one film of his to the next, suicide tugs at our sleeve.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Electric tugs docked alongside an LNG carrier being loaded at the LNG Canada docks in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, on Monday, July 14, 2025.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of tugs

Noun

Drake is someone who has such a wide range of influences and sounds.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
Ozell is a jazz singer and songwriter who has released two albums — 2015’s Take It With Me and 2020’s Overnight Lows — and cites Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and Cassandra Wilson as influences.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of influences

Noun

Bake until crust is dry around the edges and just beginning to brown, 25–35 minutes.

— Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026
Removing leaves from the edges of your garden beds will give you a clean boundary between the lawn and garden beds, adding some order to the garden’s appearance.

— Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of edges

Verb

Global oil prices are spiking as the US-Iran war drags on, leading to blockbuster profits for oil companies and higher gas prices for US drivers.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
That is a staggering fact, one that drags behind it a whole ghost book about what happened to Nantucket and countless other places across the country after so many of their citizens left to try to strike it rich in California.

— Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

By fields of cotton and soybeans where his bees forage and pollinate, Foster Hensel pries open the lid of one of his beehives, setting off a rising hum from inside.

— Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Remove the 11 Philips-head screws on the bottom of the laptop, and its bottom pries up with a bit of pressure.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026