pull back meaning and definition

PULL BACK verb

Definition of pull back (verb)

1. pull back or move away or backward
   • "The enemy withdrew"; "The limo pulled away from the curb"
   • synonyms: draw back, move back, pull away, recede, retire, retreat, withdraw
   • antonym: advance
2. use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
   • synonyms: draw back, retract
3. move to a rearward position; pull towards the back
   • "Pull back your arms!"
4. stretch back a bowstring (on an archer's bow)
   • "The archers were drawing their bows"
   • synonyms: draw
5. make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity
   • "We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him"; "He backed out of his earlier promise"; "The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns"
   • synonyms: back away, back out, crawfish, crawfish out, pull in one's horns, retreat, withdraw