pulled

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of pull.

   He pulled the splinter out with a pair of tweezers.

   The tractor pulled three loaded trailers across the field.

   Note

   A regular -ed form that does double duty: in she pulled the weeds it is simple past, in she has pulled the weeds it follows have as a perfect, and in the product was pulled it is passive. That passive fits the "withdraw from circulation" meaning especially well. Mind the slang split: in British and Irish use, someone who pulled has persuaded a person into bed; in American use, they have attracted someone's romantic interest.

2. 2
   adjective

   Of cooked meat, shredded into fine pieces by being torn apart rather than sliced.

   The chef served pulled pork topped with a tangy vinegar sauce.

   Tender pulled chicken filled the warm tortillas at the food truck.

   Similarshredded

   Note

   Here the past participle has hardened into a kitchen adjective that sits before the noun, as in pulled pork and pulled chicken. It names how the meat was prepared, not how far, so it does not take degrees. Nothing is more pulled or very pulled: the meat either was torn into shreds or it was not.

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