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
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Dad Hugs His Son Before Having His Arm Amputated
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Alyce Collins
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A man's final hug with his son before having his arm amputated has pulled at social media users' heartstrings.
—
Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
Distracted consumers are more likely to remember what takes them by surprise and are motivated to act by what pulls at their heartstrings.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
And now, Musk is plying his friendship with Italian leaders and pulling at the threads that bind the continent's next big ambition in space, a version of the Starlink constellation.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
By early Thursday morning, first responders had pulled at least 28 bodies from the river—27 from the aircraft and one from the helicopter.
—Essence, 30 Jan. 2025
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Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
Distracted consumers are more likely to remember what takes them by surprise and are motivated to act by what pulls at their heartstrings.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
And now, Musk is plying his friendship with Italian leaders and pulling at the threads that bind the continent's next big ambition in space, a version of the Starlink constellation.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
By early Thursday morning, first responders had pulled at least 28 bodies from the river—27 from the aircraft and one from the helicopter.
—Essence, 30 Jan. 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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