- pull
- [[t]p'ʊl[/t]]
♦♦pulls, pulling, pulled1) VERB When you pull something, you hold it firmly and use force in order to move it towards you or away from its previous position.
[V n with adv] They have pulled out patients' teeth unnecessarily...
[V n with adv] He pulled on a jersey...
[V prep] Erica was solemn, pulling at her blonde curls...
[V n prep] I helped pull him out of the water...
[V n] Someone pulled her hair...
[V n] He knew he should pull the trigger, but he was suddenly paralysed by fear...
Pull as hard as you can...
[V n adj] I let myself out into the street and pulled the door shut.
N-COUNT: usu singPull is also a noun.The feather must be removed with a straight, firm pull.
2) VERB When you pull an object from a bag, pocket, or cupboard, you put your hand in and bring the object out.[V n prep] Jack pulled the slip of paper from his shirt pocket...
[V n with adv] Wade walked quickly to the refrigerator and pulled out another beer.
Syn:3) VERB When a vehicle, animal, or person pulls a cart or piece of machinery, they are attached to it or hold it, so that it moves along behind them when they move forward.[V n] This is early-20th-century rural Sussex, when horses still pulled the plough...
[V n] He pulls a rickshaw, probably the oldest form of human taxi service.
4) VERB If you pull yourself or pull a part of your body in a particular direction, you move your body or a part of your body with effort or force.[V pron-refl prep/adv] Hughes pulled himself slowly to his feet...
[V n prep/adv] He pulled his arms out of the sleeves...
[V n adj] She tried to pull her hand free...
[V adv] Lillian brushed his cheek with her fingertips. He pulled away and said, `Don't!'
5) VERB When a driver or vehicle pulls to a stop or a halt, the vehicle stops.[V prep] He pulled to a stop behind a pickup truck...
[V prep] The train pulled to a halt at the platform.
6) VERB In a race or contest, if you pull ahead of or pull away from an opponent, you gradually increase the amount by which you are ahead of them.[V adv] He pulled away, extending his lead to 15 seconds...
[V adv] The six states he won in 1988 are the same states in which he has yet to pull ahead of his opponent.
7) VERB If you pull something apart, you break or divide it into small pieces, often in order to put them back together again in a different way.[V n with adv] If I wanted to improve the car significantly I would have to pull it apart and start again.
8) VERB If someone pulls a gun or a knife on someone else, they take out a gun or knife and threaten the other person with it. [INFORMAL][V n on n] They had a fight. One of them pulled a gun on the other...
[V n] I pulled a knife and threatened her.
9) VERB To pull crowds, viewers, or voters means to attract them. [INFORMAL][V n] The organisers have to employ performers to pull a crowd.
Syn:Pull in means the same as pull.V P n (not pron)
They provided a far better news service and pulled in many more viewers... V n P She is still beautiful, and still pulling them in at sixty.10) VERB If something pulls you or pulls your thoughts or feelings in a particular direction, it strongly attracts you or influences you in a particular way.[V n adv] Joe felt there was little he could do to help Betty, and his heart was pulling him elsewhere.
N-COUNT: usu sing, with suppPull is also a noun.No matter how much you feel the pull of the past, make a determined effort to look to the future.
11) N-COUNT A pull is a strong physical force which causes things to move in a particular direction....the pull of gravity.
12) VERB: usu cont If you are pulling for someone, you support and encourage them, especially in a competition. [INFORMAL][V for n] We're all pulling for each other because we're desperate to win the Cup back...
[V for n] You know I've been pulling for you.
Syn:13) VERB If you pull a muscle, you injure it by straining it.[V n] Dave pulled a back muscle and could barely kick the ball...
[V-ed] He suffered a pulled calf muscle.
14) VERB If someone pulls on a cigarette, they take a deep breath with the cigarette in their mouth.[V on n] Jeff leaned back and pulled on his cigarette.
Syn:N-COUNT: usu singPull is also a noun.He took a deep pull of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke.
15) VERB To pull a stunt or a trick on someone means to do something dramatic or silly in order to get their attention or trick them. [INFORMAL]16) VERB: V n, V If someone pulls someone else, they succeed in attracting them sexually and in spending the rest of the evening or night with them. [BRIT, INFORMAL]17) PHRASE You can say to someone `Pull the other one' or `Pull the other one, it's got bells on' to tell them that you do not believe what they have told you and you think they must be joking. [BRIT, INFORMAL]What! A big bloke like you, beaten by his wife! Pull the other one; it's got bells on.
18) to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps → see bootstrapsPhrasal Verbs:- pull in- pull off- pull out- pull up
English dictionary. 2008.
