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pull

pull

45 1.0
A strong movement toward you to move or open something
  • noun
  • /pʊl/
translation icon : 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
31 2.3

A hard pull of something across a surface

may mean moving toward oneself or any direction not only along surfaces
draw
vspull
5 2.8

An act of pulling something, often with force

focuses on moving toward oneself or a particular direction
straining
vspull
3 4.2

A strong physical effort to use force or lift something

covers moving or sustained effort but not necessarily intense or violent
pulling
vspull
1 1.0

An act of using force to move something toward you

is the dictionary headword form used instead of the gerund
drawing
vspull
3.3

Pulling a load like a cart to move it

emphasizes manual or sustained effort to move something in a direction

Idioms

20 3.9

To do your fair share of work in a group

17 5.2

Do everything possible to make something succeed

12 8.3

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

To trick someone by hiding the truth

Make your situation better by working hard without help

to pull teeth
  • Informal
1 7.5

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

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

to pull a face
  • Informal
1 5.5

Make a face to show dislike or discomfort

1 9.9

To make a big embarrassing mistake that others notice

To become less confident and not try as hard after problems

Be quieter and more careful about what you say

1 4.1

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

Save someone from a difficult situation at the last moment

1 9.9

Trying to meet someone to start a romantic or sexual relationship

9.9

To make a silly mistake that makes people laugh at you

Cheer for a team or person who is expected to lose

Make people feel deep sadness or pity

To start working hard after not doing much

Make up ideas quickly without preparing or checking facts

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

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

To start trying much harder after being lazy

to pull your pud
  • Offensive
9.9

To waste time instead of working

Compounds

7 3.9

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

3 3.8

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

pull quote
  • Literature
1 4.1

A short quotation from an article shown separately to draw attention

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

1 4.7

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

pull-through
  • Specialized
1 8.4

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

cost-pull inflation
  • Specialized
7.0

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

demand-pull inflation
  • Specialized
7.7

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

leg-pull
  • Archaic
7.1

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

pull-in
  • UK
6.5

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

pull-up
  • UK
9.5

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

How Strong

heave
4 5.5
pull
45 1.0
tug
31 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.