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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of pulling
As his career skyrocketed, Chalamet spent years quietly training — aided by an expert on the sport, Diego Schaaf — by pulling a table-tennis setup along to productions ranging from Dune to Wonka.
—
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Notre Dame didn’t mess around in pulling all that material together, looking like a program with a plan before the portal opened.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Pete Golding was installed as the new head coach and won two playoff games, but several members of the Rebels’ offensive staff have been pulling double-duty.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Further complicating matters, Scanlon said, pulling back Medicaid spending would be a huge mistake.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 7 Jan. 2026
Then, on July 26, the North Node enters Aquarius while the South Node moves into Leo, pulling you toward personal growth and away from relationships that require you to shrink or perform.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
The Kingpins team has heard about some large retailers and brands pulling back from sustainability efforts.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 6 Jan. 2026
Ottawa had a goal called back for goaltender interference and, despite pulling Shepard with more than three minutes remaining, could not complete the comeback.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Outside of his ’fits, one of Lyles’ other attention-grabbing moves is pulling Yu-Gi-Oh!
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
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The intricate cargo-hauling system still will rely on truck drivers, who represent a significant portion of California’s working class, but is looking to lean more towards using railways, which can be faster and greener, Hacegaba said.—
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Iron Horse is owned by Rodney Burrell, a former Northville hauling company owner who pleaded guilty to bid rigging in 2010 after submitting an inflated bid to help former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s friend Bobby Ferguson win a contract.—
Verb
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Surveillance video shows two suspects arriving in a car, getting out with crowbars, and prying open the restaurant's front door.—
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Water that seeps into small cracks or gaps around homes can freeze and expand, slowly prying open concrete, damaging driveways, sidewalks, and steps, and even compromising foundations.—
Verb
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Along with the inevitable post-Craig identity crisis, there’s been a corporate reshuffling, with the Broccolis handing over the series to Amazon, stretching the current Bond gap into its fifth year, inviting more rumormongering than usual.—
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After analyzing data collected by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and India’s Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), researchers say there is undeniable evidence of multiple eruptions stretching deep into the universe’s past.—
Verb
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Kerra, the dog referenced in the video, had developed a grapefruit-sized mass on her breast tissue that was dragging on the ground and causing significant discomfort.—
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That takes nothing away, though, from the epic job Herbert did dragging the Chargers through the second half of the season.—
Verb
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Multiple videos show agents firing pepper spray from their vehicles, throwing protesters to the ground and yanking people out of cars.—
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Therefore Primate and its promising central character turns more into a typical slasher flick, repeatedly knocking off the swimsuit-wearing teens one by one, his specialty being yanking out jaws and other bloody grossouts.—
Verb
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With belt-cinching streamers straining to do more with less, sloppy vibe calibration has become a common problem.—
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Even in states like Texas, which opted not to expand its Medicaid program and continued to rely on counties to care for many of its uninsured, rising health care costs are straining local budgets.—
Verb
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And while Americans’ overall ideological self-identification looks stable in the aggregate (37% very conservative/conservative, 34% moderate, 25% very liberal/liberal), a January 2025 Gallup poll shows that this steadiness hides tectonic tensions tugging beneath the surface.—
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No more crying tots – or well-meaning helper elves – tugging on their long white beards and hemlines.—
Verb
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But extracting them and refining them is the difficult part.—
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Olive oil is made by crushing olives and extracting their liquids.—
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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