Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To cause a vehicle to stop and come to a standstill, typically by the side of a road.
   • To remove something by pulling, often with effort; to extract.
   • To bring something closer or to a higher position by pulling.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To come to a stop, especially in a vehicle.
   • To straighten one's posture; to make oneself erect.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (transitive - stopping a vehicle):
  • The taxi driver pulled up the cab outside the station.
  • Please pull up your car by the curb.
• Verb (intransitive - coming to a stop):
  • A black sedan pulled up outside the house.
  • We pulled up at the traffic lights.
• Verb (transitive - removing/extracting):
  • The dentist had to pull up the infected tooth.
  • She pulled up the weeds from the garden bed.
• Verb (reflexive - straightening posture):
  • He pulled himself up to his full height when the officer entered.

Advanced Usage

• "to pull someone up": To reprimand, correct, or criticize someone for a mistake.
  • The manager pulled him up for being late to the meeting.
• "to pull up stakes": To leave one's home or current situation to go somewhere else.
  • After twenty years, they decided to pull up stakes and move to the coast.

Variants and Related Words

• Pull-up (noun): A type of upper-body strength exercise where one lifts one's body up to a bar.
  • He can do twenty pull-ups in a row.
• Uproot (verb): To pull a plant, including its roots, from the ground (similar to the "remove" sense).
• Halt (verb): To bring or come to a stop (similar to the "stop" sense).

Synonyms

• Stop, halt, draw up (for the vehicle sense).
• Extract, remove, uproot, take out (for the removal sense).
• Straighten, erect (for the posture sense).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Pull over: To drive a vehicle to the side of the road and stop.
  • The police officer signaled for her to pull over.
• Pull in: To arrive at a destination (especially by vehicle).
  • The train pulls in at 6 PM.

Related Idioms

• Pull your socks up: To make an effort to improve your work or behavior.
  • If you want to pass, you need to pull your socks up and study.
• Pull up a chair: An invitation for someone to join you by sitting down.
  • "Come in! Pull up a chair and tell me your news."

Verb

1. remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
   • pull weeds
   • extract a bad tooth
   • take out a splinter
   • extract information from the telegram
2. cause (a vehicle) to stop
   • He pulled up the car in front of the hotel
3. straighten oneself
   • He drew himself up when he talked to his superior
4. come to a halt after driving somewhere
   • The Rolls pulled up on pour front lawn
   • The chauffeur hauled up in front of us