pull at
phrasal verb
pulled at; pulling at; pulls at
1
: to hold onto and pull (something) repeatedly
When she gets nervous, she pulls at her ear.
2
: to breathe in the smoke from (a cigarette, pipe, etc.)
He rocked back and forth, pulling at his pipe.
Examples of pull at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the other hand, the nomination of vaccine skeptic and former Florida Congressman Dave Weldon to run the CDC was pulled at the last minute over concerns that the Senate would not confirm him thanks to his vaccine views.
—
Alex Knapp, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Musk’s son made his way onto his shoulders, pulling at his father’s Dark MAGA cap.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
While Alex knows that Kidder’s arrest and subsequent death are bad news — there is no way her father will accept this as the end of it all, given the suspicious circumstances surrounding Kidder’s death — Dreyer seems confident that George will cease to pull at the thread.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Struggling to hold their instruments high enough to avoid the deluge, the men finally submit, slipping under the waves, with Reynolds continuing to sing, fully submerged while the women pull at his sleeves.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Knapp, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Musk’s son made his way onto his shoulders, pulling at his father’s Dark MAGA cap.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
While Alex knows that Kidder’s arrest and subsequent death are bad news — there is no way her father will accept this as the end of it all, given the suspicious circumstances surrounding Kidder’s death — Dreyer seems confident that George will cease to pull at the thread.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Struggling to hold their instruments high enough to avoid the deluge, the men finally submit, slipping under the waves, with Reynolds continuing to sing, fully submerged while the women pull at his sleeves.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
Cite this Entry
“Pull at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20at. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share