pull
/pʊl/ verb, interjection, noun
Forms pulls pulling pulled pullest pulledst pulleth
- verb (transitive, intransitive) To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force. “When I give the signal, pull the rope.”
- verb To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward oneself; to pluck or pick (flowers, fruit, etc.). “to pull fruit from a tree”
- verb (transitive) To attract or net; to pull in.
- verb (ambitransitive, chiefly UK, Ireland, slang) To persuade (someone) to have sex with one. “I pulled at the club last night.”
- verb (ambitransitive, US, slang) To interest (someone) in dating or pursuing one (whether or not this has led to sex).
- verb (transitive) To remove or withdraw (something), especially from public circulation or availability. “Each day, they pulled the old bread and set out fresh loaves.”
- verb (transitive) To retrieve or look up for use. “I'll have to pull a part number for that.”
- verb (construction) To obtain (a permit) from a regulatory authority. “It's the contractor's responsibility to pull the necessary permits before starting work.”
- interjection (gun sports) Command used by a target shooter to request that the target be released/launched.
- noun (countable) An act of pulling (applying force toward oneself). “He gave the hair a sharp pull and it came out.”
- noun (uncountable) An attractive force which causes motion towards the source. “The spaceship came under the pull of the gas giant.”
- noun (uncountable, figurative) An advantage over somebody; a means of influencing. “The hypnotist exerted a pull over his patients.”
- noun (uncountable, figurative, informal) The power to influence someone or something; sway, clout. “I don't have a lot of pull within the company.”
- noun (countable) Any device meant to be pulled, as a lever, knob, handle, or rope. “a zipper pull”
- noun (countable, figurative) A randomized selection from a given set. “card pull”
- noun (Internet slang) A high-quality or funny recommendation by the algorithm. “mythical FYP pull”
- noun (gacha games) A player's use of a game's gacha mechanic to obtain a random reward.
Synonyms
drag tow tug yank score recall withdraw generate get get hold of get one's hands on lay one's hands on obtain retrieve carry out complete do execute perform attract pulling clout wrench twist puff draw force pull in draw in perpetrate
Antonyms
push repel shove eject leave rest throw repulsion button push-button
Etymology
Verb from Middle English pullen, from Old English pullian (“to pull, draw, tug, pluck off”), of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to West Frisian pûlje (“to shell, husk”), Middle Dutch pullen (“to drink”), Middle Dutch polen (“to peel, strip”), Low German pulen (“to pick, pluck, pull, tear, strip off husks”), Icelandic púla (“to work hard, beat”).
Noun from Middle English pul, pull, pulle, from the verb pullen (“to pull”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To draw, or attempt to draw, toward one; to draw forcibly.
- verb To draw apart; to tear; to rend.
- verb To exert one's self in an act or motion of drawing or hauling; to tug; as, to pull at a rope. To pull apart, to become separated by pulling; as, a rope will pull apart.
- noun The act of pulling or drawing with force; an effort to move something by drawing toward one. I awakened with a violent pull upon the ring which was fastened at the top of my box. Swift.
Etymology [AS. pullian; cf. LG. pulen, and Gael. peall, piol, spiol.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pull”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details