Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To apply force to (something) so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force.
- intransitive verb To remove from a fixed position; extract.
- intransitive verb To tug at; jerk or tweak.
- intransitive verb To rip or tear; rend.
- intransitive verb To stretch (taffy, for example) repeatedly.
- intransitive verb To strain (a muscle, for example) injuriously.
- intransitive verb Informal To attract; draw.
- intransitive verb Slang To draw out (a weapon) in readiness for use.
- intransitive verb Informal To remove.
- intransitive verb Sports To hit (a ball) so that it moves in the direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player.
- intransitive verb To operate (an oar) in rowing.
- intransitive verb To transport or propel by rowing.
- intransitive verb To be rowed by.
- intransitive verb To rein in (a horse) to keep it from winning a race.
- intransitive verb Printing To produce (a print or an impression) from type.
- intransitive verb To exert force in moving something toward the source of the force.
- intransitive verb To move in a certain direction or toward a certain goal.
- intransitive verb To gain a position closer to an objective.
- intransitive verb To drink or inhale deeply.
- intransitive verb Nautical To row a boat.
- intransitive verb Informal To express or feel great sympathy or empathy.
- noun The act or process of pulling.
- noun Force exerted in pulling or required to overcome resistance in pulling.
- noun A sustained effort.
- noun Something, such as a knob on a drawer, that is used for pulling.
- noun A deep inhalation or draft, as on a cigarette or of a beverage.
- noun Slang A means of gaining special advantage; influence.
- noun Informal The ability to draw or attract; appeal.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Demolition experts do not use the term "pull it" as slang for setting off explosives.
BBC News - Home 2011
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And Brad Radke, who has been out since May 31 with a groin pull, is about to make a couple of rehab starts in the Gulf Coast League.
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Initially the focus was on the phrase "pull it" used by the owner, Larry Silverstein, in a TV interview.
BBC News - Home 2011
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You will encounter the term pull parsing several times throughout the article, so it is essential to understand the meaning and the concept behind pull parsing.
unknown title 2009
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(The term pull carts doesn't quite work anymore, because many of them are push carts.)
Fore, right! 2009
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We talked about at what time -- that when his trail ropes made contact with the Earth's surface, that at that time, he would get to ready to, what they call pull the rip panel.
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MR. MCCURRY: We're going to do what we call a pull-aside bilateral.
Press Briefing By Mike Mccurry ITY National Archives 1997
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Mr. Devar senior, who has what you call a pull in such matters, has secured us the use of a railway president's car for the trip, and a whole lot of friends join us at
One Wonderful Night A Romance of New York Louis Tracy 1895
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Wiseman, who won the name pull, had no comment for this story.
Thestar.com - Home Page Joanna Smith 2011
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Investors Service said in a report this week on what it calls the pull-forward effect.
Bayou, Blockbuster, Workflow, Point Blank, Orleans: Bankruptcy - Bloomberg 2010
chained_bear commented on the word pull
From McSweeney's.net:
AN OPEN LETTER TO EVERYONE WHO, WHEN APPROACHING THE DOOR TO THE OFFICE SUITE WHERE I AM THE RECEPTIONIST, TURNS THE HANDLE DOWN, THEN PUSHES THE DOOR IN, THEREBY CAUSING A LOUD OBNOXIOUS BANGING SOUND, LOOKS UP AT ME WITH FEAR AND FRUSTRATION IN THEIR EYES, TURNS THE HANDLE UP THIS TIME, BUT STILL PUSHES THE DOOR IN, CAUSING THAT SAME OBNOXIOUS BANGING SOUND, GIVING ME THE SAME TERRIFIED LOOK, THEN RINGS THE DOORBELL, WHICH IS EVEN LOUDER AND MORE PIERCING, THEN STANDS THERE, PETRIFIED, ANGRY AT MY INCOMPETENCE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH THE REMOTE-CONTROL DEVICE.
March 22, 2005
To you people,
Pull.
PULL the door open. Turn the handle any old way you want. But then PULL. Don't push. Stop pushing the door. Pull. Pull it. The door will open if you pull it. I can't stand that banging sound. No, it's not locked. It's unlocked. I unlocked it. Yes, I see you there. And I unlocked it. It works. The battery is not dead. I checked. I'm not playing a trick on you. Stop looking at me like that. And stop ringing the doorbell. Just pull. Pull the door.
Pull.
Pull.
Pull.
Pull,
Kurt Chiang
September 26, 2008