pull at
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
On the sideline, DRC’s French head coach Sébastien Desabre pulls at his wispy white hair.
—
Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026
Standing before the painting in his New York studio, Ikezoe pointed to the top of the canvas, where faceless people pull at the udders of two cows.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
But something else kept pulling at my attention.
—Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Once the grass is laid out, workers tug and pull at the surfaces with rakes to fasten it and remove any dead clippings with leaf blowers.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pull at
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Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026
Standing before the painting in his New York studio, Ikezoe pointed to the top of the canvas, where faceless people pull at the udders of two cows.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
But something else kept pulling at my attention.
—Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Once the grass is laid out, workers tug and pull at the surfaces with rakes to fasten it and remove any dead clippings with leaf blowers.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pull at
Cite this Entry
“Pull at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20at. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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