13 VERB If someone pulls someone else, they succeed in attracting them sexually and in spending the rest of the evening or night with them. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
14 to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps → see bootstrap
15 to pull a face → see face ➊
16 to pull someone's leg → see leg
17 to pull your punches → see punch
18 to pull rank → see rank
19 to pull out all the stops → see stop
20 to pull strings → see string
21 to pull your weight → see weight
22 to pull the wool over someone's eyes → see wool
▸ pull away
1 PHRASAL VERB When a vehicle or driver pulls away , the vehicle starts moving forward. □ [V P ] I stood in the driveway and watched him back out and pull away.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you pull away from someone that you have had close links with, you deliberately become less close to them. □ [V P ] Other daughters, faced with their mother's emotional hunger, pull away. □ [V P + from ] He'd pulled away from her as if she had leprosy.
▸ pull back
1 PHRASAL VERB If someone pulls back from an action, they decide not to do it or continue with it, because it could have bad consequences. □ [V P + from ] They will plead with him to pull back from confrontation. □ [V P ] The government threatened to make public its disquiet but then pulled back.
2 PHRASAL VERB If troops pull back or if their leader pulls them back , they go some or all of the way back to their own territory. □ [V P ] They were asked to pull back from their artillery positions around the city. □ [V P n] They were not ready to begin pulling back tanks, artillery and rocket launchers from the front line. [Also V n P ]
▸ pull down PHRASAL VERB To pull down a building or statue means to deliberately destroy it. □ [V n P ] They'd pulled the registry office down which then left an open space. □ [V P n] A small crowd attempted to pull down a statue.
▸ pull in
1 PHRASAL VERB When a vehicle or driver pulls in somewhere, the vehicle stops there. □ [V P prep/adv] He pulled in at the side of the road. □ [V P ] The van pulled in and waited.
2 → see pull 9
▸ pull into PHRASAL VERB When a vehicle or driver pulls into a place, the vehicle moves into the place and stops there. □ [V P n] He pulled into the driveway in front of her garage. □ [V n P n] She pulled the car into a tight parking space on a side street.
▸ pull off
1 PHRASAL VERB If you pull off something very difficult, you succeed in achieving it. □ [V P n] The National League for Democracy pulled off a landslide victory. □ [V n P ] It will be a very, very fine piece of mountaineering if they pull it off.
2 PHRASAL VERB If a vehicle or driver pulls off the road, the vehicle stops by the side of the road. □ [V P n] I pulled off the road at a small village pub. □ [V n P n] One evening, crossing a small creek, he pulled the car off the road.
▸ pull out
1 PHRASAL VERB When a vehicle or driver pulls out , the vehicle moves out into the road or nearer the centre of the road. □ [V P prep] She pulled out into the street. □ [V P ] He was about to pull out to overtake the guy in front of him.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you pull out of an agreement, a contest, or an organization, you withdraw from it. □ [V P + of ] The World Bank should pull out of the project. □ [V P ] Murray was forced to pull out on the eve of the tournament due to a wrist injury.
3 PHRASAL VERB If troops pull out of a place or if their leader pulls them out , they leave it. □ [V P + of ] The troops prepared to pull out of a country in terrible disrepair but hopeful for the future. □ [V P ] Economic sanctions will be lifted once two-thirds of their forces have pulled out. □ [V n P + of ] The regime would defy a call from the United Nations to pull its troops out of the cities it had occupied. [Also V n P , V P n (not pron)]
4 PHRASAL VERB If a country pulls out of recession or if someone pulls it out , it begins to recover from it. □ [V P + of ] Sterling has been hit by the economy's failure to pull out of recession. □ [V n P + of ] What we want to see today are policies to pull us out of this recession. [Also V P ]
5 → see also pull-out
▸ pull over
1 PHRASAL VERB When a vehicle or driver pulls over , the vehicle moves closer to the side of the road and stops there. □ [V P ] He noticed a man behind him in a blue Ford gesticulating to pull over.
2 PHRASAL VERB If the police pull over a driver or vehicle, they make the driver stop at the side of the road, usually because the driver has been driving dangerously. □ [V n P ] The officers pulled him over after a high-speed chase. □ [V P n] Police pulled over his Mercedes near Dieppe.
3 → see also pullover
▸ pull through PHRASAL VERB If someone with a serious illness or someone in a very difficult situation pulls through , they recover. □ [V P ] Everyone was very concerned whether he would pull through or not. □ [V n P ] It is only our determination to fight that has pulled us through. □ [V P n] …ways of helping Russia pull through its upheavals.