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pull

pull

10 4.8
An injury to a muscle caused by stretching it too much
  • noun
  • /pʊl/
translation icon : tirón
  • From the pull on his muscles, he judged he had similar bruises on his hips and buttocks.

Examples

  • Over 162 games, even tough guys get sprains, sore arms, muscle pulls.

  • Oh, I think I pulled something in my neck.

  • I think I pulled the muscle in my butt just getting out of bed.

  • I'm hoping it's just a ligament pull, but it could be a tear.

  • Mr. Mo Peterson from Laguna B has seemed to have suffered a terrible groin pull.

  • I could feel the sting of sweat in my eyes, the tight, pleasant pull of taxed muscles in my thighs and buttocks.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • After playing soccer for hours, I felt a sharp pull in my calf muscle.

  • The doctor confirmed that I experienced a pull in my shoulder after lifting weights.

  • He couldn't play for a week due to a painful pull in his hamstring.

Synonyms

strain
vspull
22 4.2

An injury to a muscle or tendon caused by overstretching that causes pain

is a general term for such injuries without medical detail
twist
vspull
4 3.7

A sudden injury to a joint or muscle from turning it awkwardly

is the broader overstretching injury not necessarily sudden or caused by turning

Antonyms

344 2.1

The body's natural process of getting better after injury or illness

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 Severe

tear
207 1.0
pull
10 4.8
tweak
2 4.6

Surface Forms

pull singular
pulls plural

Etymology

Pull used for an injury follows the same image: a pull is when a muscle is overstretched or strained as if it were suddenly drawn too far.