pull off
Meaning(s)
1. succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected
Popularity
High
Professional
High
Social
How to Memorize
pull off a great victory
Analysis
To 'pull off' something can mean to succeed in doing something that is difficult or challenging. When you are speaking about a vehicle, you can say a car pulled off the road meaning to stop in a layby or the side of the road, similar to the meaning of pull in. Pull off can also mean to transfer information from one computer or device to another. You can use pull off to talk about removing clothes such as pulling off a jumper or to pull off a dress.
Social Examples (Basic)
- Trailing 3-0 at half-time, the team will need to pull off a miracle if they are to comeback and win this game.
- My sister asked me to make her a birthday cake but I've never made one before so I'm not confident I can pull it off.
- I think we are lost. I'm going to pull off the motorway and check the GPS.
Professional Examples (Advance)
- After months of negotiations, the two companies succeeded in pulling off one of the biggest tech mergers in history.
- Peter has put together an ambitious plan to grow his startup business. It will be interesting to see whether he pulls it off or not.