1
as in hauls
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in yanks
to draw out by force or with effort
the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth
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1
as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
I gave the door such a pull that when it suddenly opened, I nearly fell backwards
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2
as in sways
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly
their lawyer supposedly has a lot of pull with the administration in Washington
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3
as in edges
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
a political candidate with all of the pull that comes with a vast fortune and famous surname
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulls
Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
At the end of each show, members from the audience get to sit in a big red chair and try to tell an anecdote before Norton, or a guest, pulls a lever that flips them backward.
—Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
But later – hundreds of millions of years in the future – a permanent, virtually ringless Saturn will become real, thanks to another process called ring rain in which gravity pulls the rings apart and vaporizes their icy chunks in the upper atmosphere, NASA researchers say.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
This hopeful vision of their own future then becomes a gravitational force that pulls the student forward, which is very different from being driven by behind.
—Matthew Scogin, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
As Rodgers pulls the ball back and begins to roll to his right and away from the offensive live, wide receiver Davante Adams was on his way to the right behind the Jets offensive line in a classic misdirection play.
—Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Inside the palace’s throne room, the Wizard himself, Jeff Goldblum, pulls back the curtain to peer at his character’s magic and mechanics with senior special effects technician Christopher Clarke, who details how the Wizard’s massive robotic head comes to life.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Custom cabinets by Coastal Cabinet Works feature brass finger pulls by Studio Henry Wilson.
—Stacie Stukin, Architectural Digest, 30 Dec. 2024
Northern lights displays are most visible in Alaska and northern Canada for most of the year, though the severity of solar events frequently pulls the phenomenon below the Canadian border.
—Ty Roush, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Verb
But the major bowl games allow locker room access, which pulls back the curtain (literally) on what a team is really like when no one is watching.
—Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
At the end of each show, members from the audience get to sit in a big red chair and try to tell an anecdote before Norton, or a guest, pulls a lever that flips them backward.
—Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
But later – hundreds of millions of years in the future – a permanent, virtually ringless Saturn will become real, thanks to another process called ring rain in which gravity pulls the rings apart and vaporizes their icy chunks in the upper atmosphere, NASA researchers say.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
This hopeful vision of their own future then becomes a gravitational force that pulls the student forward, which is very different from being driven by behind.
—Matthew Scogin, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
As Rodgers pulls the ball back and begins to roll to his right and away from the offensive live, wide receiver Davante Adams was on his way to the right behind the Jets offensive line in a classic misdirection play.
—Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Inside the palace’s throne room, the Wizard himself, Jeff Goldblum, pulls back the curtain to peer at his character’s magic and mechanics with senior special effects technician Christopher Clarke, who details how the Wizard’s massive robotic head comes to life.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Custom cabinets by Coastal Cabinet Works feature brass finger pulls by Studio Henry Wilson.
—Stacie Stukin, Architectural Digest, 30 Dec. 2024
Northern lights displays are most visible in Alaska and northern Canada for most of the year, though the severity of solar events frequently pulls the phenomenon below the Canadian border.
—Ty Roush, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pulls
Cite this Entry
“Pulls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulls. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.
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