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
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
Strong rear delts also come into play during activities that involve pulling and overhead motions.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 8 Sep. 2025
Another image within the roundup sees him — still shirtless — pulling the thread taut.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
The United States, by contrast, is pulling back.
—Ben Jones, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Exiles is set after a high-profile mission goes sideways, pulling Sgt.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Instead, his impact, like pulling children into his winner's circle, will continue to be honored by other tracks.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
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
Strong rear delts also come into play during activities that involve pulling and overhead motions.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 8 Sep. 2025
Another image within the roundup sees him — still shirtless — pulling the thread taut.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
The United States, by contrast, is pulling back.
—Ben Jones, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Exiles is set after a high-profile mission goes sideways, pulling Sgt.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Instead, his impact, like pulling children into his winner's circle, will continue to be honored by other tracks.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 3 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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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
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But such players tend to make these adjustments in the course of many weeks, on private practice courts in Delray or Monaco or Abu Dhabi, far from TV cameras and prying journalists.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
31 Aug. 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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Sesame and potato as a combo is, in fact, reminiscent of the days of our collective childhoods, when experimentation looked like dragging Wendy’s fries through a vanilla Frosty.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Samuel cut inside off an excellent lead block by Croskey-Merritt and shed nickel back Dru Phillips’ tackle attempt before dragging linebacker Bobby Okereke with him to the goal line for a touchdown.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
8 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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Now, researchers believe the condition is more linked to straining and changes in pressure that affect hemorrhoid veins.—
Simon Spichak,
Health,
10 Sep. 2025
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Just over 50 years ago, the oil shock of 1973 triggered a staggering spike in gasoline prices in the United States, Europe, and beyond, straining economies and causing drastic fuel shortages.—
Fatih Birol,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
2 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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