pull

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a sustained effort

   it was a long pull but we made it

2. 2
   noun

   a device used for pulling something

   I grabbed the pull and opened the drawer.

3. 3
   noun

   special advantage or influence

   the chairman's nephew has a lot of pull

4. 4
   noun

   the force used in pulling

   the pull of the moon

5. 5
   verb

   strain abnormally

   I pulled a muscle in my leg when I jumped up

6. 6
   verb

   take away

   pull the old soup cans from the supermarket shelf

7. 7
   verb

   strip of feathers

   pull a chicken

8. 8
   verb

   hit in the direction that the player is facing when carrying through the swing

   pull the ball

Etymology

Verb from Middle English pullen, from Old English pullian (“to pull, draw, tug, pluck off”), of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to West Frisian pûlje (“to shell, husk”), Middle Dutch pullen (“to drink”), Middle Dutch polen (“to peel, strip”), Low German pulen (“to pick, pluck, pull, tear, strip off husks”), Icelandic púla (“to work hard, beat”). Noun from Middle English pul, pull, pulle, from the verb pullen (“to pull”).