pulls in

verb

present tense third-person singular of pull in
1
as in contains
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) a company that cannot manage to pull in costs will not be in business for very long

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrests
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law he was pulled in after a random traffic stop turned up drugs in his car

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 in When a hurricane moves over warm water, especially when the warm water extends many feet below the surface, the storm pulls in even more energy and moisture. — Zachary Handlos, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 The tool pulls in data and metrics such as likes, views, retention on videos, and shares. — Mia Sato, The Verge, 30 Sep. 2026 The recipe pulls in Vietnamese influences too, through ginger and lemongrass, reflecting the impact Vietnamese immigration has had on the city’s food scene. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2026 How the Draft Assistant works The Fantasy Draft Assistant pulls in players draft evaluations, overall rankings and season-long scoring projections from Jake Ciely and The Athletic’s fantasy team so users can better decide who to take on draft day. — Jake Ciely, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Via Via food hall pulls in Scarr’s Pizza, Turkey and the Wolf, All’Antico Vinaio, and more. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026 And essentially, this location pulls in snow and weather effects. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026 Atlético already pulls in more than €300 million ($346 million) annually from its stadium alone. — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 The note pulls in the opposite direction of the clean-laundry fragrances that dominated recent fragrance cycles. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls in
  1. contains
  2. arrests
  3. controls
  4. seizes
  5. keeps
  6. runs in
  7. regulates
  8. grabs
Verb
  • This floor also contains a guest bedroom and bathroom, staff quarters, laundry and a security room.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2026
  • This spice contains plant compounds called gingerols and shogaols, which help lower the level of inflammatory proteins in the body and block inflammation from occurring.
    — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of contains
Verb
  • Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
  • Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of arrests
Verb
  • Six in 10 families can’t afford the basic cost of living in the battleground districts that will determine which party controls the House, a Washington Post analysis has found.
    — Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Although Chen Mechan is accused of firing on the Salvadoran’s vehicles, sources said its heavily armed men received backup from Joseph’s 400 Mawozo, which controls the neighboring territory.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of controls
Verb
  • Sid is smart enough to sniff this out, and the show seizes the opportunity to raise the romantic stakes through an adorably British expression of mutual libidinousness.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of seizes
Verb
  • Despite the prevalent literary theme, the hotel keeps more glossy coffee table books than beach reads.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The album’s experimental bent is also what keeps the music from slipping into parody or, even worse, po-faced sincerity.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of keeps
Verb
  • Each game runs with two sets of graphics settings at each resolution, for up to four runs in total.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The Brewers scored the second-most runs in the sport while hitting the second fewest home runs.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of runs in
Verb
  • Instead of planting for curb appeal alone, homeowners are layering in rustling grasses, fragrant herbs, water features and wildlife habitats so the space actively regulates mood and stress.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Utah has been on the front lines of a battle between states and the federal government over who regulates the markets.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of regulates
Verb
  • Why the ridiculous prices are worth it Bob Baffert grabs a water out of a nearby cooler to keep the searing heat and humidity at bay.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Illinois center Tomislav Ivišić grabs a rebound past UConn forward Jayden Ross during the first half of their Final Four game on April 4, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
    — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of grabs

Browse Nearby Words

pulls down
pulls in
pulls off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pulls in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulls%20in. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All