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
Most guys, they’re getting pulled at the fifth or sixth inning, not going deep into games and not really doing anything that makes headlines.
—
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Though most responses involved some chuckles, others pulled at heartstrings.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Correa’s red card at Getafe, Lenglet’s shirt pull at Espanyol and a poor collective first-half effort in the final game against Barca were all avoidable.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Southampton captain Jack Stephens marked him tightly and pulled at his shirt, with Rogers once more questioning referee Thomas Bramall’s decisions.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull at
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Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Though most responses involved some chuckles, others pulled at heartstrings.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Correa’s red card at Getafe, Lenglet’s shirt pull at Espanyol and a poor collective first-half effort in the final game against Barca were all avoidable.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Southampton captain Jack Stephens marked him tightly and pulled at his shirt, with Rogers once more questioning referee Thomas Bramall’s decisions.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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