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pull

pull

93 1.0
A strong movement toward you to move or open something
  • noun
  • /pʊl/
: tirón
  • And if somebody gives a good hard pull on the rope?
  • push and pull
  • the pull of gravity
  • one pull

A lunge, a push, a pull, etcetera.

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Examples

  • Now, we're being held by a gravitational pull so strong, it would take 100 times the thrust we have to break free.

  • Just give it a light pull and then press against that cake.

  • I know you feel the pull towards me.

  • But it's a long, tough pull from here.

  • Feel the pull on the end of that brush.

  • Get on the floor where we are relieved from the pull of gravity.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Charlotte tugged on the ribbons, but even a slight pull sent the horses in another direction.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Students who can execute at least one pull-up should be measured on the traditional pull-up test.

    Academic text (1990)
  • That for three whole nights, it feeds as the full moon waxes and wanes, feeling the pull of the moon like no other beast.

  • She gave the door a firm pull to open it, struggling against the wind.

Synonyms

drag
vspull
16 2.3

A hard pull of something across a surface

may mean moving toward oneself or any direction not only along surfaces
pulling
vspull
7 1.0

An act of using force to move something toward you

is the dictionary headword form used instead of the gerund
straining
vspull
6 4.2

A strong physical effort to use force or lift something

covers moving or sustained effort but not necessarily intense or violent
draw
vspull
6 2.8

An act of pulling something, often with force

focuses on moving toward oneself or a particular direction
drawing
vspull
1 3.3

Pulling a load like a cart to move it

emphasizes manual or sustained effort to move something in a direction

Idioms

19 5.2

Do everything possible to make something succeed

17 4.1

To tell someone something that is not true to make them laugh

12 8.3

To trick someone in a clever way so they do not notice

To trick someone by hiding the truth

to pull a face
  • Informal
3 5.5

Make a face to show dislike or discomfort

Find a surprising way to solve a problem at the last moment

to pull teeth
  • Informal
2 7.5

To have a lot of trouble getting someone to give an answer or help

1 5.3

Make people feel deep sadness or pity

1 9.9

Trying to meet someone to start a romantic or sexual relationship

1 4.7

Cheer for a team or person who is expected to lose

To tease someone by saying something that is not true as a joke

to pull your pud
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To waste time instead of working

Save someone from a difficult situation at the last moment

To promise help again and again and then take it away at the last moment

Make your situation better by working hard without help

1 9.9

To make a big embarrassing mistake that others notice

9.9

To make a silly mistake that makes people laugh at you

To become less confident and not try as hard after problems

To start working hard after not doing much

Be quieter and more careful about what you say

3.9

To do your fair share of work in a group

Make up ideas quickly without preparing or checking facts

To suddenly stop helping someone, leaving them in a difficult situation

8.4

To mention being a woman or man to avoid blame and get sympathy

To succeed and then stop others from getting the same chances

9.1

To tell a story in a way that makes what happened sound bigger or not true

To start trying much harder after being lazy

Compounds

8 3.9

An exercise where you hang from a bar and pull your chin above it

The pull that makes things fall toward Earth or another large body

pull quote
  • Literature
2 4.1

A short quotation from an article shown separately to draw attention

1 3.8

A paved area beside a main road where cars can stop briefly

leg-pull
  • Archaic
1 7.1

A joke that tries to make someone believe a false story for fun

1 4.7

A chain with a handle that you use to turn on a light or flush a toilet

demand-pull inflation
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A rise in prices when people want to buy more things than before

pull-up
  • UK
1 9.5

A small cafe by the road where truck drivers stop to eat and rest

pull-in
  • UK
1 6.5

A roadside place like a cafe where drivers stop to rest and eat

cost-pull inflation
  • Specialized
7.0

A rise in general prices caused by higher production costs like wages and raw materials

pull-through
  • Specialized
8.4

A cloth on a cord with a weight used to clean a gun barrel

How Strong

heave
5 5.5
pull
93 1.0
tug
35 1.1

Surface Forms

pull singular
pulls plural

Etymology

Pull comes from an old English verb pullen meaning 'to draw', so a pull is the action of moving something toward you or a strong effort to make that movement.