1
as in hauling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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 of which is great news for Adam Silver and everyone else pulling a paycheck from the league.
—
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Seated calf raises can lower post-meal blood sugar spikes by gradually pulling glucose from the bloodstream.
—Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 26 Apr. 2026
Joao Neves of Paris Saint-Germain was sent off for pulling his hair in the Club World Cup, and Cristian Romero escaped without punishment for a hair-pull on Cucurella in 2022.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
And part of it is AI taking some of the tasks over, and part of that is companies investing in AI, and thus pulling back on other investments, including in personnel.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead, his car kept pulling toward the West Side Highway on the edge of the borough.
—Robert Ferris,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026
Even without the custom wrapping, just showing up ready to dig in the dirt with her — planting flowers, pulling weeds or repotting something together — turns an ordinary afternoon into quality time.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Bayern Munich goalscorer Franziska Kett was sent off for pulling hair in a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Of the Oilers’ stars, only Leon Draisaitl has been pulling his weight, leading the postseason in points through Friday’s games with six.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Seated calf raises can lower post-meal blood sugar spikes by gradually pulling glucose from the bloodstream.
—Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 26 Apr. 2026
Joao Neves of Paris Saint-Germain was sent off for pulling his hair in the Club World Cup, and Cristian Romero escaped without punishment for a hair-pull on Cucurella in 2022.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
And part of it is AI taking some of the tasks over, and part of that is companies investing in AI, and thus pulling back on other investments, including in personnel.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead, his car kept pulling toward the West Side Highway on the edge of the borough.
—Robert Ferris,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026
Even without the custom wrapping, just showing up ready to dig in the dirt with her — planting flowers, pulling weeds or repotting something together — turns an ordinary afternoon into quality time.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Bayern Munich goalscorer Franziska Kett was sent off for pulling hair in a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Of the Oilers’ stars, only Leon Draisaitl has been pulling his weight, leading the postseason in points through Friday’s games with six.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
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The Russian freighter, known as Progress 95, is hauling about 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Literally hauling the extra weight of the wiring harness around, not giving the customer any benefit.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The attendant and one of the passengers worked together at prying open the baggage compartment door while the other passenger crawled around the floor, searching in the thick smoke for a cellphone to try to use as a flashlight, according to the statement transcripts.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
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Reinforce your privacy fence by layering new fencing on top of existing fencing for an extra layer of protection that will help insulate your backyard from noise as well as prying eyes.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For a century, the 2,448 mile road stretching across eight states and three time zones has been synonymous with mom-and-pop diners and America’s Heartland.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Olivia Rodrigo has announced North American and European tour dates stretching from the fall into 2027.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After Correa doubled leading off the first against Tanner Bibee, Alvarez followed by yanking a curveball from the right-hander 422 feet over the wall in right field to give the Astros a 2-0 lead that held up for nine innings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Supporters in labor unions and in the House soon began yanking their endorsements.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Add ingredients to shaking tin and shake hard for 10 seconds then pour it directly into a rocks glass without straining.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Apr. 2026
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Some audience members shout callouts, but not loudly or consistently enough to register, leaving the cast awkwardly straining to acknowledge jokes that barely land.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Having the peace of mind that your top won’t distract you by shifting or tugging makes bodysuits a worthwhile office attire investment.—
Kevin Huynh,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
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The nylon fabric is structured but not stiff, with enough stretch to handle a scramble without tugging at your knees.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic and OpenAI have accused the startup of illegally extracting capabilities – or distilling – from their models.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
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These developments signal a shift toward circular systems that reduce emissions while extracting value from existing materials.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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