An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'pull off', with lots of examples in context.
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs!
'Pull off' is a useful English phrasal verb to have in your active English vocabulary. Although it doesn't have as many meanings of some other phrasal verbs, most of the meanings it does have are very useful, especially for the drivers amongst you. Read on to learn the different the ways to use it in English, with lots of examples in context. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end!
PULL OFF : KEY INFORMATION For an explanation of the terms in the table, click here.
Usage | Medium |
Number of meanings | 5 |
Separable? | Sometimes |
Past tense forms | Pulled off / Pulled off |
THE BASICS
To start, let's take a look at the different meanings of the words 'pull' and 'off' and what they mean on their own.
The verb 'to pull' is a common verb in English that means to apply a force in order to move something, typically towards oneself or in the same direction that the object exerting the force is moving. This can be either be when you are not moving and you force something towards you or if you are moving and you cause something to move along with you or behind you.
John pulled his girlfriend towards him and gave her a big kiss.
I walked through the airport and pulled my suitcase behind me.
The horse pulled the carriage through the park.
Often, when combined with prepositional particles to form phrasal verbs, 'to pull' can be used to mean 'to move', with the direction of the movement specified by the given preposition.
The prepositional particle 'off' is the opposite of the particle 'on' and, like most particles of this type in English, it has a wide variety of different meanings and applications as an adverb, preposition, adjective, noun and even a verb! It exists as the natural opposite of the particle 'on' and some of its main meanings include 'moving away from somewhere or something', 'stopping functioning' and 'no longer being on or in contact with a surface'. In phrasal verb constructions 'off' can often incorporate the ideas of separation, starting and, confusingly, finishing something...ah the strangeness of the English language 😀
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'pull off'...
MEANING 1: To remove something by pulling it
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Medium |
British or American? | Both |
Potential synonyms | To pull off, to yank off |
Separable? | Yes |
As this is the first meaning of the phrasal verb 'pull off' that we will look at, let's start with a nice and easy one. This initial meaning is a literal one and therefore is 'to remove something from a surface by pulling it'.
For this meaning to be applicable, we first need an object to be on a surface. If we then pull the object in a certain direction, so that it falls off the surface or is no longer on it, then we can say that we have pulled it off. This is normally used specifically when there is a pulling action involved. It can sometimes also imply that some force was needed or used.
I pulled the dirty sheets off the bed and put them in the washing machine.
John accidentally pulled the kettle off the work surface in the kitchen and it fell on the floor and broke.
Naturally, this is often used with flat surfaces such as tables, shelves and worktops but this can also be applied to any other surfaces with which we use the preposition 'on', such as a wall or clothes that are on your body.
Susan tried to pull the clock off the wall but it was stuck there.
I pulled my shoes and socks off and went for a paddle in the shallow water.
This usage is not limited to objects, however, and can also be applied to people, both in a literal sense when a person is pulled off a surface by a force or if they are pulled off a sports team or a job etc that they are on.
My dog is very strong and managed to pull me off my chair yesterday.
The coach has pulled me off the football team as my performance has not been good recently.
Roger was pulled off the flight before it departed as there was a problem with his passport.
MEANING 2: To start moving in a vehicle
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
British or American? | Both |
Potential synonyms | To start, to pull away, to move off |
Separable? | No |
The next two meanings that I will explain to you are both to do with cars and driving and the first of these is 'to start moving in a vehicle'.
This application is used specifically to describe the first few moments when a vehicle goes from being stationary to being in motion. Furthermore, this is only used when the driver intentionally makes the vehicle move and not when it moves accidentally, such as when someone forgets to put on the handbrake when parked on a slope and the car starts rolling (I know people who have done that...not me!).
Although we can use this application of 'pull off' with any type of moving vehicle, it is most commonly used with cars and other road vehicles.
This usage is derived from the combination of the idea of moving that we get from the verb 'to pull', with the meaning of 'off' as in away from the stated place.
Lisa put the key in the ignition, started the engine and pulled off.
As I was pulling off this morning, I realised that I hadn't locked the front door.
The police car pulled off and sped away down the road in chase of the criminal.
MEANING 3: To stop on the side of the road
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
British or American? | American |
Potential synonyms | To pull over |
Separable? | No |
We come now come to our second vehicle-based meaning of 'pull off'. Now, we all know how peculiar the English language can be and this is definitely a great example of its weirdness as this second meaning of 'pull off' is 'to move to the side of the road and stop the car'. That's right, almost the exact opposite of the previous meaning! 🤦
I imagine many of you are scratching your heads in confusion at this, so I'll try and add some much needed logic here to explain why 'pull off' has two completely contradictory meanings. This can actually be attributed to the word 'off' and its many different meanings. In the previous meaning, we were talking about how 'off' is used to mean in motion, however the meaning of 'off' in this second meaning is not the same and actually means to no longer be on the road. In order to for this to happen, you must pull the steering wheel to the left or right.
I stated at the beginning of this section that this meaning also involves stopping the car at the side of the road. Whilst this is true, it is also possible to use 'pull off' when you want to stop driving on the road in general, whether this be to go and get some food, to get some gas / petrol or have a short sleep. Furthermore, it can also just mean that you turn off the road and onto another one. The central idea is that you stop driving on the road that you are referring to.
This usage is primarily an American one, but as is often the case, it would certainly be understood in the UK and other English-speaking countries if you used it.
We pulled off the road in a lay-by to have a snack and a quick rest.
Ok kids, stop moaning! We will pull off at the next service station so that you can go to the toilet.
MEANING 4: To manage to do something difficult or unexpected
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
British or American? | Both |
Potential synonyms | To manage to do, to accomplish, to achieve |
Separable? | Yes |
Let's now move away from the confusing world of driving phrasal verbs and look at our next meaning of 'pull off', which is perhaps the most commonly used of them all and means 'to manage to do something that is difficult or unexpected'.
To clarify this, if you pull something off, you succeed in doing something that people do not think is likely or possible. This may be because they do not think that you are capable of the task or perhaps because there are obstacles and difficulties which make the task hard or unachievable. In other words, this usage is all about surprising people and defying their expectations.
The usage of this application is very broad and can be used to talk about anything from politics, where a politician is elected despite people thinking he or she would not be, and sports, where an athlete can win something against the odds to things like business deals that people did not think would ever happen.
This usage is a separable one and can be used both ways without any discernible difference in meaning.
Nobody thought that Susan would be able to bring up her children, work part time and study for a university degree at the same time but somehow she pulled it off!
Despite being 3-0 behind at half time, Aston Villa were able to make a comeback and pull off a surprising victory, with the match finishing 4-3 in their favour!
This is a big job and we don't have much time. Do you think we can pull it off?
Lisa wasn't sure if she would be able to convince people at the party that she her name was Laura, but she pulled it off and none of the guests suspected that Laura was lying.
MEANING 5: To masturbate manually
CEFR Language Level | C2 - Proficient |
Usage | Medium |
British or American? | Both |
Separable | Yes |
I don't normally like to include slang or vulgar uses of phrasal verbs on my blog, however I do think that sometimes it is necessary to be aware of them to avoid risking awkward or embarrassing situations.
This next meaning of 'pull off' means to masturbate and is usually used in reference to males. It can be used with a reflexive (self) pronoun or a personal pronoun, depending on the situation e.g. "to pull yourself off" or "to pull someone off". When talking about pulling a person off (as in the first meaning in this article), if you do not refer to a surface from which a person is being pulled or if it not clear from the context, then it is possible that you may be understood in this way.
I don't want to spend too much time on this meaning for obvious reasons, however you should check out this video, which is a classic example of where this extra meaning can cause embarrassment, or in this case, laughter, even with native speakers. The man is trying to use 'pull off' in the fourth meaning as he is wondering if he will be successfully be able to impersonate the presenter at a Comic Con event, however it all goes horribly wrong. For clarity, what he should have said to avoid this error was "do you think I can pull it off?".
We have now reached the end of this post and i hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'pull off'.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'pull off' (preferably not meaning 5). Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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