# pull

Pronunciation: US/AUS say "PUUL" /pʊl/; UK say "PUHL" /pəl/

## Verb

1. To apply force to draw someone or something toward oneself or in a particular direction, including picking plants or produce this way.
   - Simple: To draw someone or something toward you or in another direction, including picking plants or vegetables this way.
   - _The tug crew pulled the barge toward the dock._
   - _When you pull on the cord, the blinds rise._
2. To withdraw or take something away, particularly so that it is no longer on sale or available to the public.
   - Simple: To take something away so people can no longer get it.
   - _The publisher pulled the book weeks before its release._
   - _Regulators forced the company to pull the drug from the market._
3. To steer or drive a vehicle in a particular direction or to a particular place.
   - Simple: To move a vehicle in a certain direction or to a certain spot.
   - _Drivers must pull their cars off the road during the parade._
   - _The ferry will pull into the harbor at noon._
4. To carry out an action, especially a trick or something underhanded, or one typical of a named person (pull a Houdini). *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To do something, often a trick or something bad, or to act the way a well-known person once did.
   - _She pulled a fast one on the new cashier._
   - _The kids tried to pull a prank during the assembly._
5. To retrieve or look up something stored so that it can be used.
   - Simple: To get something from where it is kept so you can use it.
   - _The analyst pulled the records from the database._
   - _I'll pull the customer's history before the call._
12. To injure a muscle, tendon, or ligament by overstretching or straining it.
   - Simple: To hurt a muscle by stretching it too far.
   - _Athletes often pull a hamstring when they sprint without warming up._
   - _She pulled a ligament during the match._
7. To draw something apart forcefully; to tear or rend it.
   - Simple: To tear or rip something into pieces by force.
   - _He pulled the old newspaper to shreds._
   - _Pull the wrapper apart along the dotted line._
8. To attract or bring in people or things, such as customers, crowds, or votes.
   - Simple: To attract or bring in people, like customers or a crowd.
   - _Big-name acts pull large crowds to the festival every summer._
   - _The independent candidate pulled nearly a third of the vote._
9. To stop a driver or vehicle and detain them for a traffic stop.
   - Simple: To stop a driver and make them wait at the side of the road.
   - _A state trooper pulled the truck over for a broken taillight._
   - _Patrol units may pull vehicles that match the description._
16. To download source code or other files from a version-control repository into one's local copy.
   - Simple: To copy the latest code or files from a shared online project onto your own computer.
   - _Developers pull the latest commits before pushing their own work._
   - _He pulled the release branch to test the fix on his own laptop._
17. To drink a quick mouthful from a bottle, flask, or other container.
   - Simple: To take a quick drink, often straight from a bottle.
   - _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._
19. To attract someone sexually or romantically and succeed in picking them up, for example at a club. *(slang, UK, Ireland)*
   - Simple: To get someone you have just met to kiss you, date you, or go home with you.
   - _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._
20. To draw beer from a pump, keg, or tap. *(UK)*
   - Simple: To pour beer from a tap, pump, or keg.
   - _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._
21. 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).
   - Simple: In cricket, to hit a short ball to the leg side. In golf, to hit it straight but left of the target.
   - _She pulled the short delivery to the boundary for four._
   - _Strong batsmen pull anything pitched short toward the leg side._
24. To deliberately reduce the force of a blow during practice so as to avoid injuring a training partner.
   - Simple: To hold back the force of a punch or kick so you don't hurt your training partner.
   - _He pulled the punch just before contact, leaving his partner unharmed._
   - _Instructors teach students to pull their strikes when drilling new techniques._
25. To repeatedly stretch taffy in order to give it the desired soft, chewy texture.
   - Simple: To stretch candy again and again until it becomes soft and chewy.
   - _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._
26. To secure a permit from the agency that regulates the work, especially in construction.
   - Simple: To get a permit from the government office that controls building work.
   - _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._
28. To draw a gun, knife, or other weapon in order to use it or to threaten someone, often followed by "on."
   - Simple: To take out a gun, knife, or other weapon to use it or to scare someone, often used with "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._
29. To inhale from a cigarette, pipe, or the like, drawing the smoke into the mouth or lungs, usually followed by "on" or "at."
   - Simple: To breathe in smoke from a cigarette, pipe, or something like it, usually used with "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._
30. In baseball, to hit the ball toward the batter's own side of the field, which is left field for a right-handed hitter.
   - Simple: In baseball, to hit the ball to the same side the batter stands on, like left field for a right-handed batter.
   - _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._
31. To make a boat move through the water by working its oars.
   - Simple: To make a boat move through the water by using 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._

## Noun

6. An act of applying force to move something toward oneself.
   - Simple: A single act of taking hold of something and moving it toward you.
   - _A quick pull on the lever started the engine._
   - _The climber steadied herself with a strong pull on the rope._
10. A lever, knob, handle, or rope designed to be pulled.
   - Simple: A handle, knob, or rope that you grab to pull something.
   - _Each drawer had a polished brass pull._
   - _The zipper pull snapped off when he tugged on it._
11. A force of attraction that draws objects toward its source.
   - Simple: A force that pulls things toward where it comes from.
   - _The planet's gravitational pull keeps its moons in orbit._
   - _Sailors learned to respect the pull of the tide near the rocks._
13. The power to influence people or outcomes; sway or clout. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The power to change what someone does or decides.
   - _A senator with that much pull can move legislation quickly._
   - _He used his pull at the studio to get her an audition._
14. The quality of being appealing or attractive; drawing power.
   - Simple: The power something has to attract people.
   - _Few people can resist the pull of a beach town in August._
   - _Nostalgia gives the old franchise a lasting pull._
15. A muscle or ligament injury caused by stretching or straining it too forcefully.
   - Simple: A muscle injury that happens when you stretch or strain it too hard.
   - _He felt a sharp pull in his hamstring during the final lap._
   - _A bad pull kept her off the field for several weeks._
18. A mouthful or swig of a drink, especially an alcoholic beverage. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A mouthful or swig of a drink, often an alcoholic one.
   - _He took a deep pull from the whiskey flask and grimaced._
   - _After one last pull of cold cider, she set the bottle down._
22. A mishit golf shot that flies in a straight line but, for a right-handed player, to the left of the intended path.
   - Simple: A badly hit golf shot that flies straight but goes left of the target for a right-handed player.
   - _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._
23. A cross-batted cricket stroke that hits a short-pitched ball around to the leg side, usually from the off side or the stumps.
   - Simple: A cricket shot that swings the bat across the body to hit a short ball to the leg side.
   - _A well-timed pull took the short ball to the boundary._
   - _His pull off the back foot brought four more runs._

## Interjection

27. Called out by a target shooter as the signal for the target to be released or launched.
   - Simple: Shouted by a shooter to ask for a target to be thrown into the air.
   - _"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._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The process by which a client sends out a request to fetch data from a server.
- (noun) A single use of a game's gacha mechanic, its built-in lottery, to get a random reward.
- (verb) To draw a hostile computer-controlled enemy into combat, or toward or away from a chosen spot.
- (verb) In ultimate, to throw the disc from one end of the field toward the other to start play.
- (verb) To carry people or goods somewhere in a boat by working its oars.
- (verb) To record a given time, distance, or score on an indoor rowing machine.
- (verb) To rack up a given total, such as twenty points, in a game or match.
- (verb) In printing, to run off a proof or other copy from type or a plate, named from the lever that worked early hand presses.
- (verb) To leave a station or rail yard, said of a train or railroad car.
- (verb) Of a jockey, to rein in a horse on purpose so that it loses a race.
- (noun) An item or result drawn at random from a set, such as a card from a booster pack.
- (noun) An especially good or amusing post that a social media feed's algorithm serves up to a user.
- (noun) An edge that puts someone ahead in a comparison or competition.
- (noun) A trip or outing in a rowboat.
- (noun) A contest, or a hard struggle against difficulty.
- (noun) Harm, bad luck, or rough treatment that someone has to endure.
- (noun) One printed copy taken off a hand-operated press.

## Origin

Old English had the verb "pullian," meaning to pull, draw, tug, or pluck off, and its ultimate origin is uncertain. It became Middle English "pullen," the source of the verb. Related words include West Frisian "pûlje" (to shell, husk) and Low German "pulen" (to pick, pluck, pull). The noun, Middle English "pul" or "pull," was formed from the verb.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pull (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).