What does pulling mean?
Pulling is the present participle and gerund of pull, the verb for exerting force to draw something toward oneself, move it by effort, remove it, or attract it. In its most familiar physical sense, it describes hauling a rope, pulling a cart, or extracting a weed. The word is equally common figuratively: a successful performance may pull an audience, a compelling argument may pull people toward a particular conclusion, and an energetic campaign may pull in supporters. These uses retain the idea of a force that draws something in. Pulling can also describe an action performed repeatedly, as in pulling all night, or appear as an adjective before a noun, such as a pulling force. In informal North American English, a pulling guard is a close protective escort. Overall, pulling conveys movement, attraction, and often a degree of effort or intensity, making it useful wherever a force draws something or someone toward a destination, person, or idea.
As the present participle and gerund of pull, it describes exerting force to draw, move, remove, or attract something.
"He is pulling the drawer open with both hands."
Attracting people, attention, or support; in informal North American usage, serving as a close protective escort.
"The new arts center is a pulling force for the neighborhood."
From tugging a rope to attracting an audience, pulling has always conveyed the idea of drawing something or someone toward a particular force or goal.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pulling come from?
The word comes through Middle English pullen and Anglo-French puller, and is generally traced to Latin pulsare, meaning “to push or beat,” which was related to an Indo-European root associated with pushing or driving. The sense of drawing or hauling something developed within English during the medieval period. Related forms include pulley, while pulse, pulsate, and repulse preserve the same Latin family of meanings.
How pulling is actually used
Pulling is common in both physical and figurative contexts. Figurative uses often suggest influence, attraction, determination, or forceful action; some idiomatic expressions can imply covert influence or an assertion of authority. The protective-escort sense is chiefly informal and North American.
Easily confused with pulling
Pulling means exerting force to draw or move something, whereas pooling means allowing a liquid to collect or placing something in a shared pool.