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pull out

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: pullout and pull-out

English

Etymology

From Middle English pullen oute.

Pronunciation

Verb

pull out (third-person singular simple present pulls out, present participle pulling out, simple past and past participle pulled out)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pull,‎ out.
    I need to pull the splinter out of my hand.
  2. (also figurative, intransitive) To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.
    The troops pulled out of the conflict.
    The mayor pulled out of the race for Senate after numerous opinion polls had him polling at less than 10 percent.
    The racehorse pulled out of the Stakes with a hurt foot.
    • 2017 May 31, Todd Stern, “Leaving the Paris Agreement Would Be Indefensible”, in The Atlantic‎:
      Pulling out of Paris would cause serious diplomatic damage.
    • 2022 March 11, David Hytner, “Chelsea are in crisis but there is no will to leave club on their knees”, in The Guardian‎:
      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.
  3. (aviation, 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. (literally, intransitive) To use coitus interruptus as a 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:
      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 […]
    • 2013, Grace Burrowes, Once Upon a Tartan, Sourcebooks, →ISBN, page 287:
      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.
  5. (idiomatic, transitive) To remove something from a container.
    Synonyms: whip out, draw
    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.
    • 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 November 2025:
      The robbers ransacked the place, pulling out drawers and opening closets.
    • 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 2 November 2020:
      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.
    • 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 November 2014:
      Fraser was accused of pulling out the teeth of his victims with pliers.

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