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Glite Dictionary
to pull about

to pull about

5.5
To drive or move something around without a clear purpose
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : mover
  • We had to pull about several times before docking safely at the pier.

Examples

  • He often pulls about the old furniture to rearrange the living room.

  • She likes to pull about the papers on her desk until she finds the one she needs.

  • He likes to pull about with his old car in the countryside on weekends.

  • The children pulled about the toy train until it broke.

  • Don't pull about that box too much!

  • She pulls about the furniture every few months.

  • The kids pulled about their toys in the yard, creating a mess everywhere.

Synonyms

to pull
vsto pull about
532 3.2

To move a vehicle or animal to the side to stop it

is more casual or aimless in movement rather than controlled steering
to edge up
vsto pull about
5.6

Move slowly and carefully forward to get closer in a crowd

is more casual and not necessarily gradual or careful in movement
to cut about
vsto pull about
  • UK
7.2

To move around a place with no clear purpose

includes both casual aimless handling and intentional repositioning

Antonyms

to fix
218 1.0

To attach something firmly so it does not move

to stabilize
  • US
75 4.3

To become steady and stop changing

How Purposeful

to maneuver
  • US
65 5.8
to adjust
317 2.7
to move
∞ 1.0
to pull about
  • UK
5.5

Surface Forms

pull about infinitive

Morphology

pull + about

The sense 'to move or manoeuvre something around' is directly derivable from combining 'pull' (use force to bring something closer or move it) with 'about' (around/in the vicinity). Verb + about constructions commonly signal moving or handling something around, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would most likely infer this meaning.

Etymology

The verb pull about comes from the image of someone taking hold and pulling an object about, dragging it here and there like a child who pulls a toy train around the room. So, it now means 'to move or handle something' or 'to change its position in a casual or random way'.