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.
The conclusion from all of the major analysts emphasizes just how close the race is and that either side could pull off a win, but Harris’s prospects have seemed to tick up a little bit in the final days of the campaign. Jared Gans, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024 Notably, the right track/wrong track numbers were almost identical in the lead up to the 2016 election, when Trump pulled off a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 To pull off the surprise, White had his publicist send Dobrev a fake invitation for a CFDA and Vogue dinner with the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024 There may not have been an October surprise, but Vice President Kamala Harris may pull off a big one Saturday night with the election just three days away. Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 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 22 Nov. 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!