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Glite Dictionary
pull-off

pull-off

3 3.8
A paved area beside a main road where cars can stop briefly
  • noun
  • /ˈpʊlˌɔf/
  • US
translation icon : zona de descanso
  • She quickly transferred lanes and pulled off at the next exit.
  • pull-off on the highway
  • pull-off on the road
  • pulled off on the shoulder

Examples

  • There was very little traffic, and when I pulled off on the shoulder and stopped for a bit, people passing me probably assumed I was just one more tourist who was lost or looking for Billy Graham's house.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Stops will be made where there is ample room for the bus to pull off the road.

    Academic text (1994)

  • I was looking for a side road, something relatively untraveled with room to pull off.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • He pulled off the street into the empty parking lot at Paradise Beach.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She drove across the bridge, and he was standing in the paved loop of the pull-off.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The car came to a stop at the pull-off to let the passengers stretch their legs.

  • We found a convenient pull-off where we could park and enjoy the scenic view.

  • He parked his truck alongside the road at a small pull-off, allowing other drivers to pass.

Synonyms

rest stop
vspull-off
  • US
24 1.8

A place beside a road where people stop to rest, use toilets, or buy food

is a simple roadside stop that may not provide services
rest area
vspull-off
  • US
7 1.6

A place beside a highway where drivers stop to rest and use toilets

is a roadside paved stop without implying extra facilities
pullout
vspull-off
  • US
1 4.4

A part you can remove from a magazine, like a map, or a small area by the road to stop

refers only to the roadside stopping spot, not to removable publication parts
lay-by
vspull-off
  • UK
1 5.9

A paved area beside a main road where vehicles stop briefly to rest or in an emergency

is a general paved stop area not focused on rest or emergencies
wide spot
vspull-off
1 3.8

A place at the side of a road where cars can stop briefly

is a designated paved stopping area rather than just any broad roadside space
wide spot in the road
vspull-off
1 6.8

A wider part of a road where cars can pull over

is a specifically designated paved area rather than a temporary widening

How Big

rest area
  • US
7 1.6
pull-off
  • US
3 3.8
hard shoulder
  • UK
1 3.2

Surface Forms

pull-off singular
pull-offs plural

Morphology

pull-off = pull (semi-transparent) = off + pull

The noun is built from the clear components 'pull' and 'off', but the specific roadside-area meaning is a lexicalized extension from the phrasal verb rather than a fully literal combination. [Postprocessing: moved 'off' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Pull-off comes from the action pull + off, literally 'to pull' and 'off' meaning 'away'. You 'pull' your car 'off' the main road into a small paved area, so a pull-off is a place beside the road where you stop for a short time.