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pull

pull

35 5.1
A force that draws things or gives someone an advantage
  • noun
  • /pʊl/
: influencia
  • The crowd wavered, feeling the pull of the music and the hawkers.
  • exert a powerful pull
  • a powerful pull
  • push and pull

Connie was like a biblical level pull for us right there.

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Examples

  • I can feel the pull of my own life calling me back.

  • He's got a lot of pull.

  • I got a lot of pull in this town.

  • Though it was not as strong as the pull of the other channel, it moved them along.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • China has used the gravitational pull of its economic might to strengthen regional economic integration.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Anyway, listen, I was calling to let you know that if you need any help with anything, I've got some pull with the manager, so don't be afraid to give me a call.

  • In an otherwise barren landscape, it exerts an almost gravitational pull, drawing visitors up the steep yellow steps.

    Academic text (2011)
  • She has considerable pull in local politics, which helps her get things done.

  • His connections give him a lot of pull in the business community.

  • To succeed in the industry, many believe you need a bit of pull with the right people.

Synonyms

hold
vspull
195 4.2

Power that someone has over other people

is an advantage that helps achieve results rather than direct control
leverage
vspull
167 5.2

Power to influence people or events to get a better result

is a general advantage used to get things done more easily
clout
vspull
67 5.3

Power and influence in business or politics

is a broader advantage used across many areas to ease achievement

Antonyms

105 2.9

A condition that makes it harder to succeed or compete

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 Influential

power
∞ 3.4
clout
67 5.3
pull
35 5.1
sway
29 5.1
influence
156 3.4
connection
201 2.9

Surface Forms

pull singular
pulls plural

Etymology

Pull keeps the old idea of 'drawing in' from pullen, so a person's pull is their influence or power that helps them bring people or things to them.