Meaning & use

pull-up

noun·Everyday

An exercise in which a person hangs from a bar and pulls their body up until the chin clears it.

See it in a sentence

He could barely manage five pull-ups when he started training but soon reached twenty.

The gym class was timed on how many pull-ups each student could complete in a minute.

A note on using this word

"Pull-up" is hyphenated as one word for the exercise noun, while "pull up" as two words is the verb, as in "pull up a chair."

Words with a similar meaning

chin-up

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A sudden stop, or an act of pulling a vehicle over to the side of a road.

The officer signaled for a pull-up after noticing the car's broken taillight.

Make it your own

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