1
as in hauls
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulls
Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
The cheese pulls everything together, giving it an extra salty and savory depth.
—Stephanie Ganz, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
Electrolyte Imbalance Creatine causes water retention and pulls water away from the rest of your body.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 8 Nov. 2025
The best spots have a silence that pulls you inside yourself.
—Vanita Salisbury, AFAR Media, 6 Nov. 2025
If there are ever more than 21 named storms in a season, the WMO pulls from a list of supplemental names.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
The city’s median household income is roughly $80,000, while the average is around $128,000 because the top end pulls it up.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
With the pair, Brown pulls the double play for the third time in his career, and first instance since 2014.
—Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Few properties manage to be both storybook and slightly surreal—but Seaton Place Farm, a 200-year-old estate in Virginia’s Hunt Country, pulls it off.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2025
Kristine Thomason, Outside, 11 Jan. 2026
The whole look felt assuredly Aspen—cherrypicking from the glamorous sartorial pressure points of the ’70s and ’80s, luxuriating in high-level vintage pulls and sumptuous fabrics.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
Hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey, NBC’s two-hour concert special pulls from Motown’s deep catalog while welcoming newer voices into the mix.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 17 Dec. 2025
Online, fans are thrilled to share their luck-of-the-draw so far, and ooh and aah over the rare pulls that some Trader Joe’s buyers have scored—like the elusive Peanut Bag.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 1 Dec. 2025
It’s made with rip-resistant fabric, has lockable zipper pulls, and has an internal shockproof belt to protect devices.
—Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
Enter unvarnished brass, the warm, ever-evolving metal ideal for high-touch spots like cabinet pulls, faucet handles, and light switch covers.
—Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Nov. 2025
All the credit checks required for these offers are soft pulls.
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 16 Nov. 2025
Thanks to some vintage pulls from Marge’s high school wardrobe, Lisa becomes a style icon at Springfield Elementary, gaining her admission to the school’s exclusive fashion club.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
Tankaneo Long Trench Coat A long trench instantly pulls any outfit together, and this one does it with a fresh, fashion-forward edge.
—Noun
Adventure Intel One of the big pulls of Reset Hotel is its proximity to the north entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, which is generally less crowded than its southern counterpart.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls
Verb
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Global warming could doom them Under no light but the stars, a green sea turtle hauls herself out of the surf and onto the familiar sand of Alagadi Beach on the northern coast of Cyprus.—
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The Maverick, which is available in five trims, costs less than $29,000 for the XL model, hauls 1,500 lbs and tows up to 4,000 lbs.—
Verb
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Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.—
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Suddenly, someone in the audience yanks her violently into the screaming mass of people.—
Verb
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Russia, which stretches over half of the Arctic Ocean coastline, currently controls a majority of the region.—
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Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado established a similar team in her 14th District, which stretches from downtown to Northeast Los Angeles.—
Noun
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These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.—
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The first, known as the radial velocity technique, looks for slight wobbles in the star’s position, as the gravity of an orbiting exoplanet tugs it one way and then the other.—
Noun
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Cake mix, lemon pie filling, and butter come together in the oven to create crisp edges and a gooey, citrusy center, while a little cream cheese in the mix rounds out the lemon’s brightness.—
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Other signs of unseasoned wood are bark that is tightly attached and a wet, fresh-looking center with lighter and drier looking wood near the edges or ends.—
Verb
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Iwobi’s movement drags Ladislav Krejci wider, increasing the space between the lines and creating a clear passing angle for Calvin Bassey.—
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This not-quite-title song, which is nearly eight minutes long, is a sort of mini-suite, opening with a dog barking, giving way to an acoustic-guitar melody accompanying polyphonic vocals, then becoming electric and crashingly alive, until the relentless screech of a guitar drags you to the end.—
Verb
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The show’s biggest laugh may come when Testa pries open Costanzo’s mouth and pronounces just how many performances of Norma Galas has left.—
Verb
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An overreliance on tools weakens our civilization (and saps the film’s dramatic thrills).—
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Ignoring this reality weakens any serious climate plan.—
Cite this Entry
“Pulls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulls. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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