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Antonyms for pull out


Grammar : Verb
Spell : pool
Phonetic Transcription : pʊl



Definition of pull out

Origin :
  • 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" (cf. 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.
  • verb quit
Example sentences :
  • I was forced to turn my face from them, and pull out my handkerchief.
  • Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
  • But again the voice came, a little stronger, "Pull out, Ned!"
  • Extract from : « Thoroughbreds » by W. A. Fraser
  • He'd settle up with the Old Man and pull out, back across the river.
  • Extract from : « Chip, of the Flying U » by B. M. Bower
  • Wanhope cast about for the word, and Winver supplied it: "Pull out."
  • Extract from : « Quaint Courtships » by Various
  • You could pull out individuals here and there, as Eleanore did.
  • Extract from : « The Harbor » by Ernest Poole
  • Then the two sisters could not do otherwise than pull out their handkerchiefs.
  • Extract from : « L'Assommoir » by Emile Zola
  • With revolver in hand he instructed the engineer to pull out.
  • Extract from : « Herbert Hoover » by Vernon Kellogg
  • Already, if his watch was right, the train was preparing to pull out.
  • Extract from : « Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930 » by Various
  • "Pull out a chair for me, Jamison," said Bell in a strained voice.
  • Extract from : « Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930 » by Various
  • He ran off, and the wind bagged my line and the waves also helped to pull out the hook.
  • Extract from : « Tales of Fishes » by Zane Grey

Synonyms for pull out

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019