Dictionary

pull out en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English pullen oute.

Meanings

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pull, out.
   • I need to pull the splinter out of my hand.
2. (also, figuratively, intransitive) To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.
   • The mayor pulled out of the race for Senate after numerous opinion polls had him polling at less than 10 percent.
   • Pulling out of Paris would cause serious diplomatic damage. 2017 May 31, Todd Stern, “Leaving the Paris Agreement Would Be Indefensible”, in The Atlantic:
   • There is still time to find a buyer and for them to stabilise the operation, especially if the deal were done by 31 May – when the club’s special licence to carry on is due to expire. There remain plenty of interested parties, who can only see Chelsea’s price dropping as sponsors pull out or consider their associations; as revenue streams are hit. 2022 March 11, David Hytner, “Chelsea are in crisis but there is no will to leave club on their knees”, in The Guardian:
   • The racehorse pulled out of the Stakes with a hurt foot.
   • The troops pulled out of the conflict.
3. (intransitive, of an aircraft) To transition from a dive to level or climbing flight.
   • After releasing its bomb, the plane pulled out of its dive.
4. (intransitive, literally) To use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control.
   • She'd long since caught the knack of moving with him, and closed her arms and legs around him. “You'll fly with me, Tiberius? Take the last fence with me?” He'd meant to pull out. Coitus interruptus was a term even the scholars failing their Latin knew before they left public school. 2013, Grace Burrowes, Once Upon a Tartan, Sourcebooks, →ISBN, page 287:
   • Shortly before you ejaculate, you can pull out and use your hand (or hers) to push yourself over the edge. Some of my patients claim this is a more natural method of birth control[…] 2006, David J. Clayton, The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living: How to Survive Your Bad Habits, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 110:
5. (idiomatic, transitive) To remove something from a container.
   • He pulled his gun out before she had a chance to scream.
6. (idiomatic, intransitive) To maneuver a vehicle from the side of a road onto the lane.
   • When joining a road, you should check for traffic before pulling out.
7. (transitive) To draw out or lengthen.
8. (transitive) To draw out by dragging or tugging.
   • The robbers ransacked the place, pulling out drawers and opening closets. 1934 February 17, “Gunmen Loot Bori's Suite of $2,000 Gems, Bind 3 Hotel Employes; Opera Singer Away”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Nov 2025:
   • Fraser was accused of pulling out the teeth of his victims with pliers. 2014 November 26, Duncan Campbell, “‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser: original hardman who loved to cause panic”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2014:
   • Wearing a green beret and a long, dark coat, the Santa Ana man pulled out a sword with a 3-foot blade and calmly attacked in silence, almost beheading one of his victims. 2003 June 30, Jack Leonard, Jennifer Mena, Dave McKibben, “Man With Sword Kills 2 at Grocery”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Nov 2020:
9. (idiomatic, transitive) To succeed despite long odds.
   • Nobody thought they'd win, but the football team pulled out a victory.
   • They were behind by 29 points in the third quarter, but they pulled it out at the buzzer.

Forms

Deriveds

pull out all the stops · pull it out · puller-outer · pullout · pull-out

Synonyms

whip out · draw

Translations (46)

es marcha atrás (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · ca marxa enrere (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · fr déboucher (to maneuver a vehicle from the side of a road onto the lane) · ca treure (to remove something from a container) · ru вынимать (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · bg изваждам (to withdraw) · nl zich terugtrekken (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · ru вы́тащить (to remove something from a container) · ru вынима́ть (to remove something from a container) · pt tirar (to remove something from a container) · bg изваждам (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · ca retirar (to withdraw) · fr s'engager (to maneuver a vehicle from the side of a road onto the lane) · ru выта́скивать (to remove something from a container) · ru вынуть (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · fr sortir (to remove something from a container) · ru отступа́ть (to withdraw) · mi kōwhiti (to remove something from a container) · es sacar (to remove something from a container) · xbr butuh (to remove something from a container) · ca extreure (to remove something from a container) · bg потеглям (to maneuver a vehicle from the side of a road onto the lane) · wa si rsaetchî (to withdraw) · pt retirar (to withdraw) · pt puxar (to remove something from a container) · pt tirar (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · ak twe pe (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · ru выходи́ть (to withdraw) · gl sacar (to remove something from a container) · pt retirar-se (to withdraw) · pt sair (to maneuver a vehicle from the side of a road onto the lane) · fi vetäytyä (to withdraw) · es retirarse (to withdraw) · nl optrekken (to maneuver a vehicle from the side of a road onto the lane) · lut ʔuq̓ʷu (to withdraw) · ko 회수(回收)하다 (to withdraw) · it tirarlo fuori (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · ru вы́нуть (to remove something from a container) · de herausziehen (to remove something from a container) · az çıxarmaq (to remove something from a container) · fr se retirer (to withdraw) · fr se retirer (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control) · bg изваждам (to remove something from a container) · az geri çəkilmək (to withdraw) · ru вы́йти (to withdraw) · ar عَزَلَ (to use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control)