pull off

verb

pulled off; pulling off; pulls off
Synonyms of pull offnext

transitive verb

: to carry out despite difficulties : accomplish successfully against odds
the team pulled off an upset

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of pull off in a Sentence

the rebel forces pulled off a surprisingly successful offensive against the better equipped government troops
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Domingo, 55, pulled off a rare back-to-back Best Actor nomination feat with his nod for Sing Sing earned only one year after his first nod for Rustin. — Jack Smart, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025 While accepting the Oscar for his (allegedly) supporting performance in A Real Pain, Culkin pulled off an acceptance-speech hat trick. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025 The Washington Commanders pulled off a massive trade to bolster their offense, acquiring former All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel. — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025 Mikey Madison also pulled off a surprise Best Actress win in a race that many thought would come down to a photo finish between Fernanda Torres and Demi Moore. — Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pull off

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pull off was in 1883

Rhymes for pull off

See All Rhymes for pull off

Browse Nearby Words

pull off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pull off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20off. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on pull off

Nglish: Translation of pull off for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All