1
as in hauling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in prying
to draw out by force or with effort the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stretching
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pulling Rodriguez was seen on camera sitting behind the boy and pulling his arms behind his back causing his shoulders to flare out, police say. —
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 Last week, the archdiocese accused CPS of abruptly pulling the funding from only Catholic schools before the school year ended, even questioning if the district had mismanaged money and if the district was targeting their religious schools. —Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026 If this trend continues, by trading away his upcoming first-rounders, Pagliocca risked pulling the Sky out of contention for either Watkins or Strong. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 Rather than pulling from a generic product database, Shopping mode surfaces ideas from creators and communities already active on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026 David Lowery was pulling double duty. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026 Dorsey, who also founded Bluesky and Twitter (acquired by Elon Musk and renamed to X), is pulling back the curtain on a major layoff decision that hit a tipping point last December. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026 Just like Hailey Bieber—who opted for a ’90s-era, yellow and pink-trimmed Dior slip—Jenner had her fun with pulling festival-ready archive fashion. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2026
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 Last week, the archdiocese accused CPS of abruptly pulling the funding from only Catholic schools before the school year ended, even questioning if the district had mismanaged money and if the district was targeting their religious schools. —Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026 If this trend continues, by trading away his upcoming first-rounders, Pagliocca risked pulling the Sky out of contention for either Watkins or Strong. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 Rather than pulling from a generic product database, Shopping mode surfaces ideas from creators and communities already active on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026 David Lowery was pulling double duty. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026 Dorsey, who also founded Bluesky and Twitter (acquired by Elon Musk and renamed to X), is pulling back the curtain on a major layoff decision that hit a tipping point last December. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026 Just like Hailey Bieber—who opted for a ’90s-era, yellow and pink-trimmed Dior slip—Jenner had her fun with pulling festival-ready archive fashion. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
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Villagers’ days are spent hauling water for themselves and their livestock.— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
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But instead of hauling a trailer, the cargo is one gigantic watermelon, with an adorable tail on the end.— Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Most locks resist common workarounds, such as sawing, hammering or prying with a crowbar.— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
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But will prying eyes across the interwebs ever learn the whole story?— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Video footage shows motorists in the southeast African country of Mozambique waiting for hours at fuel stations as shortages grip the country, with lines of traffic stretching for blocks and drivers traveling between multiple stations in search of petrol or diesel.— Yarden Segev, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
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The move represented the shattering of a tradition of bipartisan support for public broadcasting stretching back more than a half-century.— David Folkenflik, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a four-game span, the Philadelphia 76ers star received a technical foul for shoving Donte DiVincenzo, and flagrant fouls for dragging Mitchell Robinson to the floor and swiping Brunson in the head.— Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
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Throughout Orbán’s re-election campaign, the media controlled by his governing Fidesz party depicted Magyar as a reckless enemy of peace, bent on dragging Hungary into the war in neighboring Ukraine.— Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Supporters in labor unions and in the House soon began yanking their endorsements.— Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believed Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball should have been ejected after yanking on star center Bam Adebayo’s foot, causing an injury to his lower back.— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This practice reduces straining and prevents waste from lingering, which helps sustain your microbiome health.— Sherri Gordon, Health, 16 Apr. 2026
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Iran internet blackout enters 46th day, straining economy Web traffic in the country is around 1% of prewar levels; Starlink is blocked using military-grade jamming, Tom’s Hardware reported, and possession of a terminal is a crime anyway.— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nanny Aimee -- our second in command -- was moving through the far corners of the house, waking up each of the littles, kissing sleepy eyelids, tugging my two toddlers gently forward into the day.— Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
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Generally, both experts recommend being extra careful with blinds (following manufacturer directions, for example, and not tugging or pulling when dusting).— Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Phalaborwa project aims to start extracting rare earths from the two huge dunes in 2028.— Michelle Gumede, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
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Authorities arrested Atajurt’s founder Serikzhan Bilash in 2019, releasing him into exile after extracting a promise not to engage in political activities.— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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