pulling down

verb

present participle of pull down
1
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of a powerful storm pulled down the old fishing shack, which had been immortalized in countless paintings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demolishing
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces an ugly billboard that was eventually pulled down

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in earning
to receive as return for effort he's pulling down six figures at that job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pulling down The pressure improved in the second half with edge Seth Coleman-Lyles and defensive lineman Cam Riley pulling down quarterback Brandon Allen for the only sack of the game. — Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026 The teenage girls alerted police of the incident, in which the suspect allegedly attempted to engage the girls in conversation while pulling down his pants and masturbating in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, police said. — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 6 Aug. 2026 In Contra Costa County, police in El Cerrito are pulling down its cameras over the next several weeks after the City Council last week ended its contract with Flock following public outcry over the technology, NBC Bay Area reported. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026 San Jose police officials released 17 minutes of security footage showing vandals brazenly breaking into the Vietnamese Heritage Garden last month and pulling down a nine-foot monument depicting a South Vietnamese soldier. — Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 Good for hugging and pulling down rebounds in pickup basketball. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026 That goes triple for NBA players and their teams, because your partner likely isn’t pulling down eight figures annually. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Good to see that the additional stock supply isn’t pulling down the market. — Jeff Marks,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 15 June 2026 Chicago area still cleaning up after Wednesday storms All this is happening on the heels of a day where storms wreaked havoc all around the Chicago area, pulling down trees and power lines and leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power. — Laura Bannon, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulling down
  1. destroying
  2. demolishing
  3. earning
  4. ruining
  5. tearing down
  6. winning
  7. shattering
  8. reaping
Verb
  • Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps last week, destroying shelters and setting fires as police attempted to keep protesters and migrants apart, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Mansfield Timberview signaled state-title ambitions by demolishing West Mesquite 69-7, while White Settlement Brewer knocked off Class 6A Haltom 31-14 to open Class 5A play.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While members of the public and the architectural community have criticized the Rike Tubes for altering the character of Tbilisi’s historic old town, some favored relocating them to a more suitable setting rather than demolishing them.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • Some soldiers distinguished themselves by helping to render emergency trauma response and first aid to civilians, earning individual service commendations, according to the Arkansas National Guard.
    — Neal Earley, Arkansas Online, 29 Aug. 2026
  • As tuition climbs and federal oversight tightens on low-earning programs, a new tool lets families compare outcomes across California campuses.
    — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of earning
Verb
  • The Horned Frogs crushed the Tar Heels 48-14 in last year’s season opener at Chapel Hill, ruining the college coaching debut of six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So, are invasives ruining the state’s waters, or is the state on the way to becoming the everyman’s Amazon, embraced by the folks who can’t afford the jungle lodge experience?
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruining
Verb
  • Demolition crews this month began tearing down another complex, the Lindy Boggs Medical Center, which had sat blighted and vacant for more than 20 years after Katrina.
    — JACK BROOK, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Videos broadcast by regional news outlets and posted on social media show violent torrents of water surging through valleys and mountain passes, tearing down bridges and dams and sweeping away buildings.
    — Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of tearing down
Verb
  • The contestants will have to design a wedding dress that showcases their style, and the winning design will be produced and sold by David’s Bridal.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Chad decides to run for it and scores the game-winning touchdown — for real, this time.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of winning
Verb
  • The video shows a customer walking out of Cinnaholic when the girls ride the scooter through the window, shattering the glass.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Wednesday, which was forecast to be the hottest day of the heat wave, brought record-shattering temperatures across the Southland.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of shattering
Verb
  • And after a summer spent in the ocean and pool, my skin is certainly reaping the benefits of this nourishing drugstore lotion.
    — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Analysts say the company is reaping the benefits of scale and backward integration.
    — Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of reaping

Browse Nearby Words

pulling away
pulling down
pulling in
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Cite this Entry

“Pulling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulling%20down. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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