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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pulling
And often, data centers are pulling from municipal water supplies, Anisfeld said.
—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 July 2026
Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
Not one to turn down a potential sign of good luck, Neto started pulling cards.
—
Liana Handler
follow,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2026
After pulling Ohtani as a pitcher after six innings, Roberts pinch-hit for him later in that seventh inning.
—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
4 July 2026
These are framed by an animation of silhouetted figures gathering around the statue in protest, lassoing it with a rope, and then pulling it down—a reenactment of a moment memorialized in a painting by Johannes Oertel that is also on view nearby.
—
Cat Dawson,
ARTnews.com,
3 July 2026
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2026
With memory supply scarce and pricey, consumer electronics companies have spent the past six months pulling various levers to manage the situation, from reconfiguring product SKUs in order to reduce the bill of materials to reluctantly hiking prices.
—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
When not pulling passengers around Central Park, the horses reside in private stables on the West Side of Manhattan or farms outside the city, depending on their work schedule.
—
Andrea Sachs The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
28 June 2026
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 July 2026
Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
Not one to turn down a potential sign of good luck, Neto started pulling cards.
—
Liana Handler
follow,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2026
After pulling Ohtani as a pitcher after six innings, Roberts pinch-hit for him later in that seventh inning.
—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
4 July 2026
These are framed by an animation of silhouetted figures gathering around the statue in protest, lassoing it with a rope, and then pulling it down—a reenactment of a moment memorialized in a painting by Johannes Oertel that is also on view nearby.
—
Cat Dawson,
ARTnews.com,
3 July 2026
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2026
With memory supply scarce and pricey, consumer electronics companies have spent the past six months pulling various levers to manage the situation, from reconfiguring product SKUs in order to reduce the bill of materials to reluctantly hiking prices.
—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
When not pulling passengers around Central Park, the horses reside in private stables on the West Side of Manhattan or farms outside the city, depending on their work schedule.
—
Andrea Sachs The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling
Verb
-
Rotating the pot a bit to encourage even growth is fine; hauling your ficus all over the house is not.
-
Since its launch, the company has diversified into logistics, fuel delivery, and transport, including hauling containers from Cuban ports to different provinces.
Verb
-
These evergreen or deciduous shrubs protect your garden oasis from prying eyes and create a sense of solitude.
-
The two have already had a few chats away from prying eyes and shared a few kisses.
Verb
-
Since then, the United States has expanded from 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast to 50 states stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and beyond.
-
There are brisk 7am forest walks, group yoga, breath work, and a class on Lanserhof healing exercises, which combine stretching, tapping, and movement.
Verb
-
Compounding concerns, California officials say the Department of Transportation is dragging its feet.
-
One small habit that has helped me tremendously is dragging important emails directly into my calendar.
Verb
-
Now, with the federal and state government yanking back plenty of that funding and directly barring the city from enacting some of its more aggressive climate plans, Higgins is left with a narrow road to tread toward progress.
-
The virtual oar-yanking celebration in a baseball atmosphere was one of those weird juxtapositions that seem to get fostered whenever a World Cup fanbase descends upon a host city.
Verb
-
Significant concerns also surround the program's temporary nature and its substantial potential cost, with CBO estimates reaching billions annually, potentially straining government healthcare funds.
-
Fatigue from straining to hear throughout the day is another signal that often goes unrecognized.
Verb
-
Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
-
These ergonomic neoprene handle wraps provide additional cushioning around the handles of your carry-on or checked suitcase, a dream for tired, achy hands after a day of tugging luggage.
Verb
-
The government is also extracting data from devices that law enforcement recently seized, Winik added.
-
The organizations extracting the most value have redesigned workflows around what AI makes possible.
Cite this Entry
“Pulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
