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
But then Lawrence layered an animal print coat overtop, transforming the look from tame to eye-popping — a classic style maneuver that Jennifer Lopez also pulled at the end of 2024.
—
Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 9 Feb. 2025
Other videos pulled at my heartstrings, like the participant who opened up about the loss of his son.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for pull at
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Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 9 Feb. 2025
Other videos pulled at my heartstrings, like the participant who opened up about the loss of his son.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
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
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 7 Apr. 2025.
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