The 10 Phrasal Verbs
pull off
To achieve something difficult or surprising; also to remove clothing.
"Nobody believed they could win, but they pulled it off!"
pull out
To withdraw from a deal, agreement, or place; to exit a space (vehicle).
"The main investor decided to pull out at the last minute."
pull through
To survive or recover from a serious illness, crisis, or difficult situation.
"The doctors weren't sure, but she pulled through the surgery."
pull together
To unite and work as a team, especially in difficult times; to calm yourself.
"After the fire, the whole community pulled together to help the family."
pull back
To retreat; to stop yourself from doing something; to move away from a situation.
"She wanted to argue, but she pulled back and stayed calm."
pull over
To move a vehicle to the side of the road and stop; (police) to stop a driver.
"The officer signaled for the driver to pull over immediately."
pull up
To arrive in a vehicle; to stop a vehicle; to bring up information on a screen.
"A black SUV pulled up in front of the hotel entrance."
pull down
To demolish a building; to decrease a value or reputation; to earn a salary.
"The negative review really pulled down the restaurant's rating."
pull apart
To separate forcefully; to criticize every flaw of a plan or argument.
"The committee pulled apart the proposal in less than ten minutes."
pull in
To attract customers, money, or people; for a vehicle to arrive at a stop.
"The new menu was pulling in twice as many customers every weekend."
Common Mistake: pull off — two very different meanings
pull off (figurative) = achieve something difficult or surprising:
✓ "She pulled off the deal." = She achieved it successfully.
✓ "I can't believe he pulled it off!" = He succeeded against the odds.
pull off (literal) = remove something by pulling:
✓ "He pulled off his muddy boots." = He removed them.
Context is everything! "She pulled it off" (figurative, no object named) almost always means she succeeded. "She pulled off her jacket" (literal, clothing named) means she removed it.
✗ "They pulled off the contract." → Ambiguous! Better: "They pulled off the deal" (achieved) OR "They removed the contract" (literal).
Reading Passage
Rodrigo's Comeback
Rodrigo had opened "La Casona" — a traditional Costa Rican restaurant in Cartago — three years ago. The first year was wonderful. But by year two, the cracks began to show. A food magazine pulled down his reputation with a harsh review. Creditors started pulling apart his business plan in every meeting, finding problems at every turn.
Then the worst happened. His main investor decided to pull out. Without that money, everything was at risk. Rodrigo wanted to give up. He had to pull back and rethink everything from the beginning.
But he didn't give up. He called a meeting and asked his team to pull together. "If we work as one, we can fix this," he said. They worked nights, redesigned the menu, and cut costs without cutting quality. Six weeks later, they had completely reinvented the restaurant.
The new concept began to pull in customers from all over the province. One evening, a car pulled up in front of La Casona — it was a well-known food journalist from San José. Rodrigo recognized her immediately. He took a deep breath and went out to greet her.
Later that week, a traffic officer pulled over Rodrigo's delivery van on the road to Cartago — just a routine check. The officer recognized the restaurant name and smiled. "I heard about your comeback," he said. "You really pulled it off."
Rodrigo laughed. Yes, they had pulled through. And he knew they would never take that for granted again.