v. 1 draw, haul, drag, lug, tow, trail Do you think the car is strong enough to pull that load? 2 tug, jerk, yank, wrench, pluck He suddenly pulled on the door and it opened 3 Sometimes, pull out or up. pluck (out), withdraw, extract, uproot, pick (up or out), snatch out or up, tear or rip out or up, cull, select, draw out, take out, remove We pulled out all the weeds and threw them on the compost heap He has a collection of jokes pulled from his speeches. 4 Often, pull apart. tear or rip (up or apart), rend, pull asunder, wrench (apart), stretch, strain This fabric is so weak it pulled apart as soon as I touched it I think I pulled a muscle in my calf. 5 Often, pull in. attract, draw, lure, entice, allure, catch, captivate, fascinate, capture We need something besides the 'Sale' sign to pull the customers into the shop 6 pull apart. pull to pieces or shreds, criticize, attack, pick or take apart or to pieces, flay, run down, Colloq put down, pan, knock, devastate, destroy, slate, Slang slam The critics really pulled apart her new play 7 pull away. withdraw, draw or drive or go or move away; outrun, outpace, draw ahead of She pulled away abruptly when he touched her hand The green car is pulling away from the others. 8 pull back. a withdraw, draw back, back off or away, recoil, shrink (away or back) from, shy, flinch (from), jump, start The burglar pulled back when he saw the ferocious dog b withdraw, (beat a) retreat, take flight, flee, turn tail, drop or fall back, back out We cheered when we saw the enemy troops pulling back 9 pull down. a demolish, raze, level, destroy, wreck It takes only hours to pull down a house that it has taken generations to build b draw, receive, get, be paid, earn He pulls down much more at his new job c lower, debase, diminish, reduce, degrade, dishonour, disgrace, discredit, humiliate When his fortunes declined, he pulled down all his friends with him 10 pull for. hope or pray for, be enthusiastic for, be supportive of, support, campaign for, cheer for, encourage, boost, US root for We are all pulling for you to win 11 pull in. a drive up, arrive, come, draw up or in, reach The train finally pulled in at midnight We need petrol, so pull in at the next filling station. b arrest, apprehend, take into custody, Colloq pinch, nab, collar, nail, Brit nick, Slang bust The cops pulled him in for possession of narcotics 12 pull off. a detach, rip or tear off, separate, wrench off or away When he was cashiered from the army, they pulled off all his insignia and medals b accomplish, do, complete, succeed, carry out, bring off, manage, perform Three men pulled off the robbery in broad daylight 13 pull oneself together. recover, get a grip on oneself, get over it, recuperate, Colloq snap out of it, buck up Try to pull yourself together and stop crying 14 pull out. a uproot, extract, withdraw In the ensuing scrap, someone tried to pull out his hair Two survivors were pulled out of the rubble. b withdraw, retreat, beat a retreat, recede, draw back, leave, depart, go or run away or off, evacuate, Colloq beat it, do a bunk, Brit do a moonlight flit The artillery unit pulled out yesterday c leave, go, depart, take off When that train pulls out, I want you on it! d withdraw, quit, abandon, resign (from), give up, relinquish You can still pull out of the deal if you want to 15 pull someone's leg. tease, chaff, rib, have on, rag, twit, poke fun at, make fun of, hoodwink, ridicule He said that I'd just eaten a fly, but he was pulling my leg 16 pull strings. use influence or connections, US use pull, pull wires His uncle pulled strings to get him the job 17 pull through. survive, recover, improve, get better, get over (it or some affliction), rally; live Murphy was at death's door, but luckily he pulled through 18 pull up. a stop, halt, come to a standstill We pulled up in a lay-by for a few minutes' rest b uproot, root out, dig out, deracinate, eradicate Your dog has pulled up all the flowers in my garden c draw even or level with, come up to, reach On the fifth lap, Manson pulled up to, then passed Sabbatini
n. 19 draw, tug; yank, jerk Give the bell-rope a strong, steady pull, and try not to yank it suddenly 20 attraction, draw, magnetism, appeal, drawing or pulling power, seductiveness, seduction, lure The pull that golf has on certain people is hard to explain 21 influence, authority, connections, prestige, weight, leverage, Colloq clout, muscle You'd better treat her nicely, for she has a lot of pull with the boss 22 puff, draw, inhalation, Colloq drag He took a long, meditative pull on his cigarette and blew some smoke rings