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Meaning & use

pulled over

verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌpʊld ˈəʊvə/
US/ˌpʊld ˈoʊvər/

“pulled over” is a form of “pull over”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbintransitive

    stopped by the police while driving and told to move to the side of the road.

    Grammar: Usually passive in this sense: be/get pulled over. The driver is the subject, and the police are not mentioned unless you add 'by the police'.

    Patterns

    • be pulled over
    • get pulled over
    • be pulled over by the police
    • be pulled over for speeding

    I was pulled over on the highway for driving too fast.

    She got pulled over last night and had to show her license.

    If you're pulled over, stay in the car and keep your hands visible.

  2. verbintransitive

    moved a vehicle to the side of the road and stopped it.

    Grammar: Active use: the driver does the action. Often followed by 'to' plus a place or purpose: pulled over to the curb.

    Patterns

    • pull over
    • pull over to the side
    • pull over to let someone pass

    He pulled over to check the map.

    We pulled over at a gas station to stretch our legs.

    The taxi pulled over and we got out.

Word forms

base formpull over
third person singularpulls over
past tensepulled over
past participlepulled over
-ing formpulling over

Common combinations

get pulled over
You can get pulled over if your taillight is broken.
be pulled over for speeding
He was pulled over for speeding twice last year.
pulled over by the police
She was pulled over by the police near the bridge.
pull over to the side
Please pull over to the side and stop the engine.
pull over and ask
We pulled over and asked a local for directions.

Synonyms and how they differ

stop
Stop is the general word for ending movement; pull over specifically means stopping at the side of the road, often because of police or for a short break.
flagged down
Flagged down means someone signaled you to stop, but it does not necessarily mean you moved to the side of the road.

Opposites

pull awaydrive off

Word family

pull over phrasal verb
The base form: to drive to the side of the road and stop.
pullover noun
A sweater that you put on over your head; spelled as one word and unrelated in meaning.

Commonly confused: pulled over or pullover? pulled over or pull out?

pulled over vs pullover

A pullover is a piece of clothing (a sweater), while 'pulled over' is about a car stopping at the roadside.

pulled over vs pull out

Pull out means to drive away from the side of the road or to leave a parking space, roughly the opposite of pull over.

Practice

The police officer signaled, so Maria ______ to the side of the road.

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