pull

Less common meanings

12. 12
    hurt a muscleverbtransitive

    To injure a muscle, tendon, or ligament by overstretching or straining it.

    Athletes often pull a hamstring when they sprint without warming up.

    She pulled a ligament during the match.

    UsageUsually pull a muscle or pull a hamstring.

    Similarstrain, sprain, wrench

13. 13
    nouncolloquialfigurativelyuncountable

    The power to influence people or outcomes; sway or clout.

    A senator with that much pull can move legislation quickly.

    He used his pull at the studio to get her an audition.

    UsageUsually have pull with someone: a lot of pull with the council, pull at the studio.

    Similarclout, influence, sway, leverage, power

14. 14
    nounfigurativelyuncountable

    The quality of being appealing or attractive; drawing power.

    Few people can resist the pull of a beach town in August.

    Nostalgia gives the old franchise a lasting pull.

    UsageUsually the pull of something: the pull of the sea, the pull of home.

    Similarappeal, attraction, draw, allure, lure

15. 15
    nouncountable

    A muscle or ligament injury caused by stretching or straining it too forcefully.

    He felt a sharp pull in his hamstring during the final lap.

    A bad pull kept her off the field for several weeks.

    UsageOften after a body word: a hamstring pull, a groin pull, a muscle pull.

    Similarstrain, sprain

16. 16
    code updateverbtransitive

    To download source code or other files from a version-control repository into one's local copy.

    Developers pull the latest commits before pushing their own work.

    He pulled the release branch to test the fix on his own laptop.

    Oppositepush

    Note

    In version control, this is how a developer brings other people's changes into a local copy. In Git, a pull fetches the latest commits from the shared repository and folds them into the current branch, which is why it can stop at a merge conflict. Developers pull before starting work and push when they share it. The idea matches the networking noun: the receiving side asks. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • Pulling brings changes from another repository into a local repository. mercurial-scm.org
    • This describes Git's pull operation. Mercurial's pull does not update the working directory by default. mercurial-scm.org
    • A Git pull can encounter merge conflicts. github.com
    • Pull networking involves a request initiated by the receiving client. en.wiktionary.org
17. 17
    verbintransitive

    To drink a quick mouthful from a bottle, flask, or other container.

    Around the campfire, each of the ranch hands would pull at the jug of cider and pass it to the left.

    The old man pulled at his hip flask, winced at the burn of the whiskey, and tucked it back inside his jacket.

    UsageFollowed by on or at: pull on a bottle, pull at a flask.

    Similarswig, sip, drink

18. 18
    a swignouncolloquialcountable

    A mouthful or swig of a drink, especially an alcoholic beverage.

    He took a deep pull from the whiskey flask and grimaced.

    After one last pull of cold cider, she set the bottle down.

    UsageUsually take a pull from or at a bottle, often with long or deep: a long pull.

    Similarswig, gulp, slug, mouthful, draft

    Note

    H. Elliott McBride's Well Fixed for a Rainy Day (1882) offers "a pull at dis bottle." In Norman Lindsay's A Curate in Bohemia (1913), two gentlemen each take "a prolonged pull" at the wine. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • H. Elliott McBride wrote Well Fixed for a Rainy Day. en.wiktionary.org
    • Well Fixed for a Rainy Day contains the words “a pull at dis bottle.” en.wiktionary.org
    • Norman Lindsay wrote A Curate in Bohemia, first published in 1913. en.wikipedia.org
    • The novel describes two gentlemen each taking “a prolonged pull” of wine. en.wiktionary.org
19. 19
    verbslangUKIrelandtransitive or intransitive

    To attract someone sexually or romantically and succeed in picking them up, for example at a club.

    He bragged that he could pull anyone at the club and take them home for the night.

    She pulled a lad from the rugby team on Saturday night.

    UsageCommon in you've pulled!; going out hoping to pull is being on the pull.

    Note

    A British and Irish slang verb of the night out, and it often needs no object: "you've pulled" announces success all on its own. With an object it names the person won over. It can mean winning a date or a night together, and it belongs in casual talk among friends.

20. 20
    pour beerverbUKtransitive

    To draw beer from a pump, keg, or tap.

    He pulled a fresh pint and set it on the bar.

    New bar staff must learn to pull a proper pint without too much foam.

    UsageMost often pull a pint; pulls a good pint is praise for the skill.

    Similardraw, pour

    Note

    Bar talk from Britain, most at home with pint. A barman who "pulls a good pint" is being praised for a craft, not just an action. The phrase rests on the beer pump, where the server draws a handle toward themselves. That keeps the core sense close to the surface. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The expression has a literal basis in operating a beer pump by pulling its handle. patents.google.com
    • The server pulls the dispensing handle toward themselves. perfectdraft.com
21. 21
    a cricket strokeverbtransitive

    In cricket, to hit a short ball around to the leg side with a horizontal bat. In golf, to mishit the ball straight left of the target (for a right-handed player).

    She pulled the short delivery to the boundary for four.

    Strong batsmen pull anything pitched short toward the leg side.

    Note

    Two games share the verb but judge it oppositely. In cricket it is a deliberate cross-batted stroke that sends the ball to leg. In golf it names the golfer's mishit, a ball that flies off line. Robert Henry Lyttelton's Cricket (1888) urged restraint even so: "Never pull a straight fast ball to leg." Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • Robert Henry Lyttelton was a coauthor of Cricket. en.wikipedia.org
    • Cricket was first published in 1888; the first-edition title page bears that year. en.wikisource.org
    • The 1888 date is the first-publication year, rather than a later edition's date. gutenberg.org
    • The quotation is exact and appears in the batting chapter credited to R. H. Lyttelton. en.wikisource.org
22. 22
    golf mishitnouncountable or uncountable

    A mishit golf shot that flies in a straight line but, for a right-handed player, to the left of the intended path.

    His approach was a pull, straight as an arrow but twenty yards off the green.

    Under pressure on the back nine, she started fighting a pull with her irons.

    Oppositepush

    Note

    Golfers keep this miss apart from a hook. A pull starts left and stays on that line, while a hook curves left as it flies. Its mirror image is the push, a straight shot that misses to the right, and for a left-handed golfer the directions swap, so a pull goes straight to the right. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • For a right-handed golfer, a pull flies straight left, whereas a hook curves left. en.wikipedia.org
    • A hook curves left for a right-handed golfer. en.wikipedia.org
    • A push flies straight right for a right-handed golfer; left-handed golfers reverse these directions. learn-golf.co.uk
23. 23
    a cricket strokenouncountable or uncountable

    A cross-batted cricket stroke that hits a short-pitched ball around to the leg side, usually from the off side or the stumps.

    A well-timed pull took the short ball to the boundary.

    His pull off the back foot brought four more runs.

    Note

    The noun arrives with a history of disapproval. In 1887 R. A. Proctor, writing in Longman's Magazine, dismissed it as "not a legitimate stroke, but bad cricket." The batter swings the bat across the line of a short ball and sends it around to the leg side. Pull shot is its fuller name. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • The cricket noun has a history of disapproval: Wiktionary attributes the exact quotation to R. A. Proctor in Longman's Magazine in 1887. en.wiktionary.org
24. 24
    hold backverbtransitive

    To deliberately reduce the force of a blow during practice so as to avoid injuring a training partner.

    He pulled the punch just before contact, leaving his partner unharmed.

    Instructors teach students to pull their strikes when drilling new techniques.

    UsageMost often pull a punch. Not pull any punches means speak plainly, without softening criticism.

    Similarcheck, soften

    Note

    A word for restraint as a skill. In practice fighting, the student who pulls a strike still shows the full technique but checks its force before contact. Punch is its most natural object, and pulling is something instructors teach deliberately, since an unchecked blow can injure the partner. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • Students practise strikes with proper technique while deliberately controlling their force and stopping short of contact. satori-dojo.com
    • Strike control is deliberately taught during training because full-power techniques can injure a partner. en.wikipedia.org
25. 25
    stretch candyverbtransitive or intransitive

    To repeatedly stretch taffy in order to give it the desired soft, chewy texture.

    She pulled the taffy until it lightened to a creamy color.

    Confectioners pull the taffy for several minutes to give it a soft, chewy texture.

    Similarstretch

    Note

    A candy maker's term. Warm taffy is stretched and folded again and again, which works air into it, lightens its color and produces the soft chew. It takes an object or stands alone: you pull the taffy, or a confectioner simply pulls for several minutes. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • Taffy making involves repeatedly stretching and folding warm candy. blog.lorannoils.com
    • Pulling incorporates air into taffy. annex.exploratorium.edu
    • Pulling lightens taffy's color. gluesticksblog.com
    • The air introduced by pulling contributes to a soft, chewy texture. en.wikipedia.org
26. 26
    get a permitverbtransitive

    To secure a permit from the agency that regulates the work, especially in construction.

    Ask whether your contractor will pull the permits or expects you to do it.

    The roofer started the job without pulling a permit and was fined by the city.

    UsageThe builder or owner pulls a permit; the city issues it. Get a permit is a general alternative.

    Similarobtain, get

    Note

    Trade talk from the building business, where permits for electrical, plumbing and other work are pulled before the job starts. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Construction trade permits include electrical and plumbing permits. miamidade.gov
    • Required construction permits are obtained before work starts. cslb.ca.gov
27. 27
    shooter's callinterjection

    Called out by a target shooter as the signal for the target to be released or launched.

    "Pull!" he called, and two clays sailed out across the range.

    At each station she mounted the gun, settled her feet, and said "Pull" in a low, steady voice.

    Note

    Shouted once the shooter is set and ready, feet planted. A trapper then launches the clay, or on many ranges a microphone picks up the call and releases it automatically, which is why a short, sharp syllable serves so well as the cue. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

    • The shooter calls when ready for the target. extension.usu.edu
    • The gun need not be mounted; Olympic Skeet requires it to be out of the shoulder when calling. cpsa.co.uk
    • The shooter stands in position when calling. extension.sdstate.edu
    • A person can operate the target release. wildlife.utah.gov
    • Voice activation allows a microphone to trigger target release in response to the call. aurorasc.org
28. 28
    draw a weaponverbtransitive

    To draw a gun, knife, or other weapon in order to use it or to threaten someone, often followed by "on."

    Witnesses said the man pulled a gun on the driver during the argument.

    Officers are trained not to pull their weapons unless they face a real threat.

    UsageUse on before the person threatened: pull a gun on someone.

    Similardraw

    Oppositeholster

29. 29
    puffverbintransitive

    To inhale from a cigarette, pipe, or the like, drawing the smoke into the mouth or lungs, usually followed by "on" or "at."

    He pulled thoughtfully at his cigar before answering the question.

    Outside the bar, a few smokers pull on their last cigarettes before heading back in.

    Similarpuff, draw, drag

30. 30
    baseball hitverbtransitivebaseball

    In baseball, to hit the ball toward the batter's own side of the field, which is left field for a right-handed hitter.

    Pitchers kept the ball outside so he couldn't pull it down the left-field line.

    The lefty pulled a hard grounder through the right side of the infield.

    Note

    Pulling is a matter of timing: the batter meets the ball early, out in front of the plate, so the swing carries it to the hitter's own side. Someone who does this by habit is a pull hitter. The opposite skill is hitting to the opposite field, which players call going the other way. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Pulling generally involves meeting the ball earlier, in front of the batter. en.wikipedia.org
    • Contact out in front of the plate helps a batter pull the ball. mlb.com
31. 31
    rowverbintransitive

    To make a boat move through the water by working its oars.

    The lifeboat crew pulled for the shore as the waves grew higher.

    The coxswain called the rhythm so all eight rowers would pull in time.

    Similarrow

    Note

    Rowing earns the verb because every stroke draws the oar back toward the rower, which is just what the everyday pulling means. Used without an object, it usually takes a direction: pull for the shore, pull away from the ship. Stroke for stroke is the racing idiom, as when Marcus Clarke's rowers "pulled stroke for stroke". With a passenger or cargo as object, it means carrying them somewhere by rowboat. Source

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • A rowing stroke draws the oar handle toward the rower, supporting the connection with ordinary pulling. usrowing.org
    • Marcus Clarke describes rowers racing with the exact words "pulled stroke for stroke"; this is narration in For the Term of His Natural Life, Book I, Chapter VI. gutenberg.org
32. 32
    noun

    The process by which a client sends out a request to fetch data from a server.
33. 33
    noun

    A single use of a game's gacha mechanic, its built-in lottery, to get a random reward.
34. 34
    verb

    To draw a hostile computer-controlled enemy into combat, or toward or away from a chosen spot.
35. 35
    verb

    In ultimate, to throw the disc from one end of the field toward the other to start play.
36. 36
    verb

    To carry people or goods somewhere in a boat by working its oars.
37. 37
    verb

    To record a given time, distance, or score on an indoor rowing machine.
38. 38
    verbUK

    To rack up a given total, such as twenty points, in a game or match.
39. 39
    verbdated

    In printing, to run off a proof or other copy from type or a plate, named from the lever that worked early hand presses.
40. 40
    verbUS

    To leave a station or rail yard, said of a train or railroad car.
41. 41
    verb

    Of a jockey, to rein in a horse on purpose so that it loses a race.
42. 42
    noun

    An item or result drawn at random from a set, such as a card from a booster pack.
43. 43
    noun

    An especially good or amusing post that a social media feed's algorithm serves up to a user.
44. 44
    noundated

    An edge that puts someone ahead in a comparison or competition.
45. 45
    noun

    A trip or outing in a rowboat.
46. 46
    noundated

    A contest, or a hard struggle against difficulty.

    this wrastling pull betweene Corineus and Gogmagog, is reported to have befallen at Douer.

    1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall
47. 47
    nounobsolete

    Harm, bad luck, or rough treatment that someone has to endure.

    Two pulls at once; / His lady banished, and a limb lopped off.

    1591, William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt,”
48. 48
    noun

    One printed copy taken off a hand-operated press.