pull
pronunciation
How to pronounce pull in British English:
UK [pʊl]
How to pronounce pull in American English:
US [pʊl]
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- Noun:
- the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
- the force used in pulling
- special advantage or influence
- a device used for pulling something
- a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments
- a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke)
- a sustained effort
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- Verb:
- cause to move along the ground by pulling
- direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
- move into a certain direction
- apply force so as to cause motion towards the source of the motion
- perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
- bring, take, or pull out of a container or from under a cover
- steer into a certain direction
- strain abnormally
- cause to move in a certain direction by exerting a force upon, either physically or in an abstract sense
- operate when rowing a boat
- rein in to keep from winning a race
- tear or be torn violently
- hit in the direction that the player is facing when carrying through the swing
- strip of feathers
- draw or pull out, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
- take sides with; align oneself with; show strong sympathy for
- take away
Word Origin
- pull
- pull: [OE] The main Old and Middle English word for ‘pull’ was draw, and pull did not really begin to come into its own until the late 16th century. It is not known for certain where it came from. Its original meaning was ‘pluck’ (‘draw, drag’ is a secondary development), and so it may well be related to Low German pūlen ‘remove the shell or husk from, pluck’ and Dutch peul ‘shell, husk’.
- pull (v.)
- c. 1300, "to move forcibly by pulling, to drag," from Old English pullian "to pluck off (wool), to draw out," of unknown origin, perhaps related to Low German pulen "remove the shell or husk," Frisian pûlje "to shell, husk," Middle Dutch polen "to peel, strip," Icelandic pula "work hard." Early 14c. as "to pick, pull off, gather" (fruit, flowers, berries, leaves, petals, etc.); mid-14c. as "to uproot, pull up" (of teeth, weeds, etc.). Sense of "to draw, attract" (to oneself) is from c. 1400; sense of "to pluck at with the fingers" is from c. 1400. Meaning "tear to pieces" is mid-15c. By late 16c. it had replaced draw in these senses. Related: Pulled; pulling. Common in slang usages 19c.-20c.; Bartlett (1859) has to pull foot "walk fast; run;" pull it "to run." To pull up "check a course of action" is from 1808, figurative of the lifting of the reins in horse-riding. To pull (someone's) chain in figurative sense is from 1974, perhaps on the notion of a captive animal; the expression was also used for "to contact" (someone), on the notion of the chain that operates a signaling mechanism. To pull (someone's) leg is from 1882, perhaps on notion of "playfully tripping" (compare pull the long bow "exaggerate," 1830, and pulling someone's leg also sometimes was described as a way to awaken a sleeping person in a railway compartment, ship's berth, etc.). Thornton's "American Glossary" (1912) has pull (n.) "a jest" (to have a pull at (someone)), which it identifies as "local" and illustrates with an example from the Massachusetts "Spy" of May 21, 1817, which identifies it as "a Georgian phrase." To pull (one's) punches is from 1920 in pugilism, from 1921 figuratively. To pull in "arrive" (1892) and pull out "depart" (1868) are from the railroads. To pull (something) off "accomplish, succeed at" is originally in sporting, "to win the prize money" (1870). To pull (something) on (someone) is from 1916; to pull (something) out of one's ass is Army slang from 1970s. To pull rank is from 1919; to pull the rug from under (someone) figuratively is from 1946.
- pull (n.)
- c. 1300, "a fishing net;" mid-14c., "a turn at pulling," from pull (v.). From mid-15c. as "an act of pulling." Meaning "personal or private influence" is by 1889, American English, from earlier sense "power to pull (and not be pulled by)" a rival or competitor (1580s).
Example
- 1. Starbucks ( sbux ) ceo howard schultz also had to pull the reins in on his company 's expansion .
- 2. It 's like a slingshot -- the harder you pull , the more propulsion you generate . "
- 3. He gave a quick pull on the rope .
- 4. It is not easy to escape the gravitational pull of chinese history .
- 5. But the pull of brussels remains strong .