PULLS Synonyms: 178 Similar and Opposite Words

pulls 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pull

as in hauls

to cause to follow by applying steady force on a team of horses pulling a heavy wagon

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Relevance

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as in yanks

to draw out by force or with effort the dentist had to struggle to pull the tooth

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as in stretches

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure lift the crate carefully, or you'll pull a muscle

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pulls

2 of 2

noun

plural of pull

as in tugs

the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force I gave the door such a pull that when it suddenly opened, I nearly fell backwards

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as in sways

the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly their lawyer supposedly has a lot of pull with the administration in Washington

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as in edges

the more favorable condition or position in a competition a political candidate with all of the pull that comes with a vast fortune and famous surname

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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 pulls

Verb

Studios build best picture runs around a face and a narrative, and Focus is betting that a breakout turn is the engine that pulls the rest of the slate into the race. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 One of these women is a Stanford chemist whose fertilizer pulls carbon out of the sky. — Lisa Curtis, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The look also pulls from indie sleaze, which Trendalytics reports is up 80% in social buzz, reinforcing the messy, early-2000s finish that defines the trend. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 In the book, when Hig tries to land there, a trip wire almost snags the Cessna and pulls them down to their deaths in a crash. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026 People can sit through the afternoon and let the lineup come to them, then get up when something pulls them closer to the stage. — Svetlana Khachiyan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 There’s a fun bit when Green pulls her badge to walk Reacher out through the police cordon, pretending to have placed him under arrest, but the ruse doesn’t last long. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 The curvy wood frame and oversized door pulls give the Scandi-centric piece a bit of retro appeal without feeling dated. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026 Later in the ad, another man pulls the driver out of the golf bag and takes swings with it while Clark looks on. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Noun

The pulls of our star and planet equal the centripetal force needed for a smaller object to stay in place. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026 On Monday, the Fantasy 5 pulls will be joined by the Powerball drawing, worth an $81 million jackpot. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026 Sadayuki Murai’s twisty script constantly upends our understanding of the film’s reality, resulting in what might be a record-breaking number of rug pulls. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 Io is repeatedly squeezed and stretched by Jupiter and the gravitational pulls of neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026 The exquisite scenery is also one of the show’s biggest pulls. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026 Highlights are monster truck rides, truck and tractor pulls, in addition to the fireworks. — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 With its rounded edges and carved-in handle pulls, the brand’s Adel sideboard can fit into your space in a number of ways, whether as a stylish TV stand or a modern entryway piece to greet visitors. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 July 2026 Use a custom combination of brass, bronze, rose gold, copper, silver, chrome, or black metal on cabinet pulls, knobs, faucets, lighting, or appliances. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulls

Verb

And just a few miles away, the popular Mount Washington Cog Railway hauls visitors to the summit of the property’s namesake, and the highest peak in the Northeast at nearly 6,300 feet.

— Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
The gang hauls the contraption to the front curb and pours their non-alcoholic beers into it.

— Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of hauls

Verb

Johnson yanks veterans' benefits package An effort to advance a package of VA benefits bills this morning on the House floor went down in flames – the latest in Speaker Mike Johnson's struggle to get Republicans on the same page.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

Definition of yanks

Verb

Lyonnes and Washington Spirit of the NWSL, Kang’s influence stretches across the global game, but it cannot be escaped that Putellas has dropped down from the highest level with this move.

— Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
But 160 Leroy portends a future that stretches the definition of what constitutes New York living into hitherto-unknown territory.

— Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of stretches

Noun

The European Investment Bank (EIB) estimates that roughly 200 wrecks, including warships, barges, tugs, and cargo vessels, remain scattered across a five-kilometer stretch of the river near Prahovo.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
Momentus’ spacecraft can also serve as space tugs to ferry smaller satellites or experiments from one orbit to another.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of tugs

Noun

Clever and snappy, fresh and silly, a winning combination of classic Looney Tunes gags and contemporary concerns (the press notes mention many influences including, no joke, The Insider).

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Typically, in the success stories, there's a strong bond between the child and the parents that managed to survive a lot of the negative influences that can happen along the journey.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of influences

Noun

With confetti colors and an appealing blocky design (buffered by rounded edges), these statement pieces are easy to clean and light enough to be moved from playroom to patio without a hitch.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 31 Aug. 2026
This pre-seasoned, ¼ inch thick steel heat extremely evenly with minimal disparity between the center and edges.

— Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of edges

Verb

As the conflict drags on, damage to the Middle East will extend far beyond infrastructure.

— Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
And while American and Israeli strikes have battered Iran for months, the conflict has also taken a toll on Pentagon resources and American lives as the war drags on.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

By fields of cotton and soybeans where his bees forage and pollinate, Foster Hensel pries open the lid of one of his beehives, setting off a rising hum from inside.

— Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Remove the 11 Philips-head screws on the bottom of the laptop, and its bottom pries up with a bit of pressure.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026