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pull

pull

80 5.1
A force that draws things or gives someone an advantage
  • noun
  • /pʊl/
translation icon : 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
209 4.2

Power that someone has over other people

is an advantage that helps achieve results rather than direct control
leverage
vspull
140 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
73 5.3

Power and influence in business or politics

is a broader advantage used across many areas to ease achievement

Antonyms

108 2.9

A condition that makes it harder to succeed or compete

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 Influential

power
3.4
clout
73 5.3
pull
80 5.1
sway
26 5.1
influence
430 3.4
connection
297 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.