pull at
phrasal verb
pulled at; pulling at; pulls at
1
: to hold onto and pull (something) repeatedly
When she gets nervous, she pulls at her ear.
2
: to breathe in the smoke from (a cigarette, pipe, etc.)
He rocked back and forth, pulling at his pipe.
Examples of pull at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By early Thursday morning, first responders had pulled at least 28 bodies from the river—27 from the aircraft and one from the helicopter.
—
Essence, 30 Jan. 2025
The fate of these military facilities isn't clear, although reports suggest Moscow is pulling at least some of its military equipment from western Syria.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Different guys kind of pick up the rope and start pulling at times.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2024
But if nostalgia pulls at your heartstrings, consider other uses.
—Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pull at 
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Essence, 30 Jan. 2025
The fate of these military facilities isn't clear, although reports suggest Moscow is pulling at least some of its military equipment from western Syria.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Different guys kind of pick up the rope and start pulling at times.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2024
But if nostalgia pulls at your heartstrings, consider other uses.
—Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pull at
Dictionary Entries Near pull at
Cite this Entry
“Pull at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20at. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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