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to pull

to pull

773 6.6
To do something dishonest or unfair to gain an advantage
  • verb
  • /pʊl/
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer una jugarreta
  • Looks like you pulled it off.
  • pull the plug
  • pull the rug out
  • pull a gun

I think an immense con has been pulled on the American people.

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Examples

  • If a homework pass was pulled, the entire class was exempt from the work.

    Academic text (1991)
  • But to pull it off, we're gonna need a pretty sweet diversion.

  • Nobody really thought he could pull it off. "But apparently he has," Ross said.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I think an immense con has been pulled on the American people.

  • I think an immense con has been pulled on the American people.

  • That's going to be difficult to pull off, I would suspect, given the short notice.

  • But to pull it off, we're gonna need a pretty sweet diversion.

Synonyms

to commit
vsto pull
3.3

To do something illegal or wrong

is less formal and can mean a surprising or dishonest act
to perpetrate
vsto pull
85 8.4

To do a harmful or illegal act

is more informal and often implies surprise or trickery
to pull a fast one
vsto pull
  • Informal
12 8.3

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

is a general carried out act that may be dishonest or disapproved
to pull a fast one on
vsto pull
  • Informal
5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

is a broader action and may not aim to gain advantage
to pull that stunt
vsto pull
  • Informal
1 8.1

Do something foolish that shocks or angers other people

is often about dishonesty or disapproval rather than mere foolishness

Antonyms

To act honestly and directly without tricking others

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

Phrasal Verbs

523 2.7

To take something out of a place, often with effort

301 4.1

To manage to do something difficult or unexpected

294 2.8

To move a vehicle to the side of the road and stop

206 3.4

To stop being involved in an activity or agreement

163 2.8

To stop or slow down a vehicle at a place

162 3.4

To move yourself and things backward from a place, person, or situation

111 3.2

To take something out, often with effort, for example weeds or hidden facts

96 4.9

Decide to do something after thinking about it for a while

To stop something from going on by removing support like money

86 3.5

To move away from people or a place to create space

81 5.1

Get control of your feelings and calm down after being upset

Leave an activity or agreement you had joined

To secretly use people you know to get what you want

To survive a serious illness or danger, often with help from others, and start to get better

Gather people or things and organize them to reach a goal

50 3.0

To stand or sit up straight to look more confident

41 2.7

To take something off from where it is attached

to pull for
  • Informal
23 4.2

Support someone in a competition or hard situation

21 3.2

To break something into pieces by hand

20 4.4

To make a person or group stop taking part in something

19 3.1

To arrive at a station and stop there

14 4.1

To earn money from work or business

12 3.6

To gather information or things from different places

12 3.9

To tug gently with your fingers again and again, often when nervous

Move a handle to make a machine start or stop

To move into a leading position in a race or competition

Hurt a muscle by stretching or straining it too much

7 3.5

To attract people or attention

7 3.8

To demolish a building so it is flat on the ground

5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

5 3.2

To bring something or someone down from a higher place

5 7.2

Leave home and move to a new place

4 9.9

Make up facts with no proof, often as a weak excuse

To move something by dragging it with effort

to pull punches
  • Informal
3 6.7

To hold back criticism or strong action to avoid hurting someone

To stop taking part in an agreement you already agreed to

1 8.1

Do something foolish that shocks or angers other people

1 4.4

To make a rope or cord tight by stretching it so it is not loose

To stop suddenly before you expect it

1 6.3

Make funny faces to amuse or annoy people

to pull quote
  • Literature
1 4.6

To take a short line from a text and show it separately to get attention

5.5

To drive or move something around without a clear purpose

Drive a car to the side of the road and stop

7.4

Produce a surprising idea that solves a difficult problem

Close the cover on a window or door by moving it down

To arrive suddenly to confront someone, often in a challenging way

to pull wires
  • Informal
9.3

To secretly get people to do what you want for personal gain

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 Serious

to perpetrate
85 8.4
to commit
3.3
to pull
  • Informal
773 6.6
to perform
1.3
to do
1.0

Surface Forms

pull infinitive
pulled past
pulled past participle
pulling present participle
pulls third person singular

Etymology

Pull can mean to carry out an act because of the idea 'to make something happen' from old English pullen, so to pull a trick is to produce or cause that action.