pull out

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, figuratively, 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.
3. (intransitive) To transition from a dive to level or climbing flight.
   • After releasing its bomb, the plane pulled out of its dive.
4. (intransitive, literally) To use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control.
   • 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[…]2006, David J. Clayton, The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living: How to Survive Your Bad Habits, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 110
   • 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.2013, Grace Burrowes, Once Upon a Tartan, Sourcebooks, →ISBN, page 287
5. (idiomatic, transitive) To remove something from a container.
   • He pulled his gun out before she had a chance to scream.

   Synonyms:

   whip out, draw

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.
   • The robbers ransacked the place, pulling out drawers and opening closets.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...
   • 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.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...
9. (idiomatic, transitive) To succeed despite long odds.
   • Nobody thought they'd win, but the football team pulled out a victory.
   • They were behind by 29 points in the third quarter, but they pulled it out at the buzzer.