1
as in hauling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in prying
to draw out by force or with effort
the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stretching
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulling
All major indexes dipped slightly Tuesday, with tech shares such as Nvidia and Microsoft pulling back.
—
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Good Times Oakland is pulling from a deep well of retail bottles, and has a bar for the public to sip and sup.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
But during Tom’s 50th birthday party, events take an unexpected turn, pulling Tom’s brother Timmy (Johansson) and wife Maja (Wärmländer) into the story and setting off a chain of unexpected events.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
According to Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, Ali had clinched more than 100 times, often pulling Frazier’s neck down in order to tire him.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Those who want the option of pulling it back might want to consider leaving it a half-inch or inch below the collarbones.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Running back Henry Rutledge is awaiting the results of an MRI for a lower-body injury after pulling himself after playing five snaps against North Carolina.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Companies that committed to DEI efforts and made public statements are now pulling back from those policies, editing their websites, disbanding employee resource groups, and quietly abandoning inclusive hiring goals.
—C200, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But gravity is not just pulling the object.
—Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Good Times Oakland is pulling from a deep well of retail bottles, and has a bar for the public to sip and sup.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
But during Tom’s 50th birthday party, events take an unexpected turn, pulling Tom’s brother Timmy (Johansson) and wife Maja (Wärmländer) into the story and setting off a chain of unexpected events.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
According to Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, Ali had clinched more than 100 times, often pulling Frazier’s neck down in order to tire him.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Those who want the option of pulling it back might want to consider leaving it a half-inch or inch below the collarbones.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Running back Henry Rutledge is awaiting the results of an MRI for a lower-body injury after pulling himself after playing five snaps against North Carolina.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Companies that committed to DEI efforts and made public statements are now pulling back from those policies, editing their websites, disbanding employee resource groups, and quietly abandoning inclusive hiring goals.
—C200, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But gravity is not just pulling the object.
—Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
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Crews are also engaged in mopping up, addressing hot spots, and back-hauling equipment on the eastern, southern, and western sides of the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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And it’s mostly designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon rockets by hauling satellites and other cargo to Earth’s orbit at a fraction of the price of older technologies.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to Alixandra, who didn't share her surname, Sparrow masterminded her own midnight feast by toppling the feeder and prying off the lid.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
This is about creating a childhood away from prying eyes, giving his children the space and support to enjoy being children without a care in the world.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When tested, the team found that the new material is extremely stretchy, able to safely handle ~4600% strain (like stretching 1 cm of gel to 46 cm without breaking).—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Grand Teton Pathway passes through the park, stretching from Jackson to Antelope Flats Road.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Moncur struggled for seven minutes, dragging Blaze — who was locked on her arm — to the front of the facility in search of help.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The trends have contributed to a slump in consumer confidence, dragging on spending and threatening leaders’ official growth target for this year of around 5%.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Within seconds, officers in full riot gear surged forward in formation, yanking open the doors and pulling the passenger to safety.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
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But some lawmakers say that argument is baseless and that yanking the grants has left the state less equipped to prevent tragedies like this week’s attack at Annunciation Catholic School.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Fiscal shocks are straining governments’ ability to act.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Even before this year’s harvest, growing demand was straining matcha supplies.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Something must force the system into the new state, just like the woman gently tugging on Zeeman’s catastrophe machine.—
Gregory Barber,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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Of course, amid the drama tugging at viewers’ heartstrings, the show will, in following 9-1-1 tradition, feature larger-than-life rescues, including of one tech billionaire (played by Mark Consuelos) who is swallowed by a whale.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instead of including a real image, the email linked to malware capable of extracting data from recipients’ devices, according to Genians.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
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But while Newsom and Rivas were largely aligned on tempering the state’s ambitious climate goals amid the reality of rising costs, McGuire and his staff were wary of handing wins to polluting industries without extracting victories for environmental and social justice causes.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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