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
But if nostalgia pulls at your heartstrings, consider other uses.
—
Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
His season low was 127 yards against Portland State, and he got pulled at halftime.
—Justin Williams, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
This will pull at your heartstrings but never leave you without hope.
—Newsweek Staff, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
But football pulled at the heartstrings as Macdonald weighed his career path.
—Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pull at 
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.
Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
His season low was 127 yards against Portland State, and he got pulled at halftime.
—Justin Williams, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
This will pull at your heartstrings but never leave you without hope.
—Newsweek Staff, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
But football pulled at the heartstrings as Macdonald weighed his career path.
—Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024
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 4 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share