pull
gb/pˈʊl/ us/pˈʊl/
A1
English
~ 3900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
action
1
Move something toward yourself
To make something come closer to you by using force.
Usage pattern:
to pull [something] [toward oneself]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'pull' with 'push', which has the opposite meaning.
Synonyms
tug (Implies a short, sharp pull, often with more force or urgency.)
Antonyms
push (Means to move something away from oneself, the opposite direction of pull.)
Collocations
pull a door
|pull a rope
|pull a chair
|pull a lever
Themes
daily life
|movement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She pulled the heavy box toward the door.
- I pulled the rope to ring the bell.
- He pulled the chair closer to the table.
- They pulled the boat onto the shore.
Learner examples
- I pull the door to open it.
- He pulls the chair to the desk.
- She pulls the rope.
- They pull the cart.
- We pull the box to us.
Verb
B1
action
2
Attract or draw someone/something
To make someone or something come closer in interest or feeling, not by touch.
Usage pattern:
to pull [someone/something] [toward/into something]
Common mistake:
Some learners overuse 'attract' when 'pull' is more natural in casual speech for emotional or narrative contexts.
Synonyms
attract (More general term for drawing interest or attention.)
Antonyms
repel (Means to drive away or discourage interest.)
Collocations
pull in customers
|pull an audience
|pull attention
Themes
emotions
|social
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The new café pulled in a lot of customers.
- Her speech pulled the crowd's attention.
- The movie's story pulled me in completely.
Learner examples
- The music pulls many people in.
- His kind words pull her to him.
- The game pulls players into the story.
Verb
A2
action
3
Remove something by pulling
To take something out by pulling it toward you.
Usage pattern:
to pull [something] [out/off/from something]
Synonyms
extract (More formal; often used for careful or technical removal.)
Antonyms
insert (Means to put something into place, opposite of removing it.)
Collocations
pull out a tooth
|pull weeds
|pull off a lid
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The dentist pulled out my wisdom tooth.
- She pulled the weeds from the garden.
- I pulled the plug from the socket.
Learner examples
- I pull the pen from my bag.
- He pulls the nail out of the wood.
- She pulls the sticker off the box.
Noun
A2
event
4
An act of pulling
The act of making something come toward you.
Synonyms
tug (Usually refers to a short, sharp pull.)
Collocations
give a pull
|a strong pull
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- With one hard pull, he opened the stuck drawer.
- Give the rope a gentle pull.
- It took several pulls to start the engine.
Learner examples
- He gave the door a pull.
- I gave the rope a pull.
- She made a strong pull on the handle.
Noun
informal
B2
entity
5
Influence through connections
Power to get what you want because you know important people.
Synonyms
influence (Broader term; 'pull' is more informal and often implies personal connections.)
Antonyms
powerlessness (Lack of any influence or ability to affect outcomes.)
Collocations
have pull with someone
|use your pull
Themes
business
|social
|work
|relationships
Examples
- He got the job through his uncle's pull at the company.
- She has a lot of pull in local politics.
- Without some pull, it's hard to get an appointment quickly.
Learner examples
- He has pull in his office.
- She uses her pull to help friends.
- They have no pull in this city.
Grammar
Dictionary form
pull
IPA
GB/pˈʊl/
US/pˈʊl/
Syllables & stress
pull (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (pull)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: pull
- Plural: pull, pulls
Verb
- Base: pull
- 3rd Person Singular: pulls
- Present Participle: pulling
- Past: pulled
Word family
Forms
pulls
noun
pulling
verb
pulled
verb
Negative and opposite forms
push
verb A1
Advanced or less common
puller
noun
pulley
noun
Expressions
pull ahead
1/pˈʊl əhˈɛd/
phrasal verb
Take lead in competition/race
To move in front of others in a race or competition.
Examples
- Our team pulled ahead in the final minutes.
- He pulled ahead of his competitors after the last round.
pull off
1/pˈʊl ˈɔf/
phrasal verb
Succeed in difficult task
To do something hard or surprising and succeed.
Examples
- They pulled off a big win against the champions.
- She managed to pull off an amazing performance.
pull out
1/pˈʊl ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
Withdraw from activity/place/arrangement
To stop being involved in something or leave a place.
Examples
- The company pulled out of the deal.
- Our troops will pull out next year.
pull over
1/pˈʊl ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
Move vehicle to roadside and stop
To drive your car to the side of the road and stop it.
Examples
- The police officer asked me to pull over.
- She pulled over to answer her phone.
pull through
1/pˈʊl θɹˈu/
phrasal verb
Recover from illness/difficulty
To get better after being very sick or after a very hard time.
Examples
- She was very ill but she pulled through.
- We all worked together and pulled through the crisis.
pull up
1/pˈʊl ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Stop vehicle at a place
To stop your vehicle somewhere.
Examples
- He pulled up in front of my house.
- A taxi pulled up outside the hotel.