1. pull apart
- Meaning: to take something apart by pulling; to criticize severely
- Examples:
- The children pulled the toy apart to see how it worked. (The children took the toy apart by pulling its parts to understand its mechanism.)
- The critics pulled the movie apart for its weak plot. (The critics severely criticized the movie because of its unconvincing storyline.)
2. pull away
- Meaning: (of a vehicle) to move away; to escape from someone or something; to increase the distance between oneself and others
- Examples:
- The bus pulled away just as I got to the stop. (The bus moved away exactly when I reached the bus stop.)
- He managed to pull away from his pursuers. (He succeeded in escaping from those who were chasing him.)
- In the final lap, the leading runner pulled away from the others. (In the last round of the race, the runner in the lead increased the distance between himself and the other runners.)
3. pull back
- Meaning: to move back or retreat; to withdraw; to pull something back
- Examples:
- The troops were ordered to pull back to a safer position. (The soldiers were commanded to retreat to a more secure location.)
- She pulled back when she saw the snake. (She moved back suddenly when she saw the snake.)
- He pulled back the curtain to let in some light. (He drew the curtain back to allow some light to come in.)
4. pull down
- Meaning: to demolish or destroy a building; to lower something by pulling; to make someone weak or ill
- Examples:
- They decided to pull down the old building and build a new one. (They made a decision to demolish the old building and construct a new one.)
- She pulled down the shades to block out the sun. (She lowered the window shades to keep the sun out.)
- Working long hours every day is pulling him down. (Working for a long time every day is making him weak and tired.)
5. pull in
- Meaning: (of a train, bus, etc.) to arrive at a station; to attract; to earn
- Examples:
- The train pulled in at the station on time. (The train arrived at the station punctually.)
- The advertisement is designed to pull in customers. (The advertisement is created to attract customers.)
- The company is pulling in a lot of profit this year. (The company is earning a large amount of profit this year.)
6. pull off
- Meaning: to succeed in doing something difficult; to take off (clothes)
- Examples:
- It was a difficult task, but he managed to pull it off. (It was a challenging job, but he succeeded in completing it.)
- She pulled off her coat and sat down. (She took off her coat and then sat down.)
7. pull on
- Meaning: to put on (clothes); to pull something with force
- Examples:
- He pulled on his shoes and ran out of the house. (He put on his shoes quickly and ran out of the house.)
- She pulled on her gloves to keep her hands warm. (She put on her gloves to keep her hands warm.)
- The fisherman pulled on the rope to bring in the net. (The fisherman pulled the rope with force to bring the fishing net in.)
8. pull out
- Meaning: to remove something by pulling; (of a vehicle) to leave a place; to withdraw from an agreement, competition, etc.
- Examples:
- The dentist pulled out the bad tooth. (The dentist removed the decayed tooth by pulling it.)
- The car pulled out of the driveway and drove away. (The car left the driveway and drove off.)
- They decided to pull out of the deal at the last minute. (They made a decision to withdraw from the business deal at the very last moment.)
9. pull over
- Meaning: (of a vehicle) to move to the side of the road and stop
- Examples:
- The police officer signaled the driver to pull over. (The police officer made a signal to the driver to move the vehicle to the side of the road and stop.)
10. pull through
- Meaning: to recover from an illness; to succeed in dealing with a difficult situation
- Examples:
- With the help of the doctors and nurses, the patient pulled through. (With the assistance of the medical staff, the patient recovered from his illness.)
- The company managed to pull through the financial crisis. (The company succeeded in getting through the financial difficulties.)
11. pull up
- Meaning:
- To bring a vehicle to a stop.
- To lift or raise something by pulling.
- To reprove or reprimand someone.
- Examples:
- The driver pulled up in front of the store. (The driver stopped the vehicle in front of the store.)
- He pulled up his socks before starting to run. (He lifted his socks up by pulling them before he began to run.)
- The teacher pulled up the student for being late. (The teacher reprimanded the student for arriving late.)
12. pull around
- Meaning: To move something or someone by pulling in a circular or semi-circular motion.
- Examples:
- She pulled the chair around so that she could face the window. (She moved the chair in a circular motion so that she could look out of the window.)
- The tractor pulled the logs around to the loading area. (The tractor moved the logs in a circular or semi-circular way to the area where they were to be loaded.)
13. pull together
- Meaning:
- To work together as a team to achieve a common goal.
- To gather or collect things.
- Examples:
- The members of the team need to pull together if they want to win the championship. (The team members should cooperate and work as a unified group if they aim to win the championship.)
- We need to pull together all the information we have before making a decision. (We should gather all the available information before making a choice.)
14. pull ahead
- Meaning: To move ahead or gain an advantage over others, especially in a race or competition.
- Examples:
- In the final stretch of the race, the athlete pulled ahead of the others and won the gold medal. (In the last part of the race, the athlete moved ahead of the other competitors and won the first place.)
- The company is pulling ahead of its rivals in terms of market share. (The company is gaining an advantage over its competitors in terms of the portion of the market it controls.)