pull off

verb

pulled off; pulling off; pulls off

transitive verb

: to carry out despite difficulties : accomplish successfully against odds
the team pulled off an upset

Examples of pull off in a Sentence

the rebel forces pulled off a surprisingly successful offensive against the better equipped government troops
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In addition to the physical access and time necessary to pull off that hack, however, a license plate saboteur would also need to overcome a feature of Reviver's plates that sends a notification to the owner when it's detached from a vehicle. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024 Emiliano Martinez had pulled off a miraculous save earlier in the half but was now lying on the floor after clattering into the post trying to save the header. Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024 The keen and talented whites who can mimic this commodification of Blackness pull off a second abduction and enslavement in many ways. Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024 But could general manager Brian Cashman pull off an insane trade for Tucker and Cody Bellinger? Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pull off 

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pull off was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near pull off

Cite this Entry

“Pull off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20off. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on pull off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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