Pull out or pullout?
pull out is a verb meaning “the words pull and out, each in its own sense”; pullout is a noun meaning “A withdrawal, especially of armed forces”. Use pull out as a verb and pullout as a noun. pull out is written as two words and pullout as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between pull out and pullout?
| pull out | pullout | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, adjective, noun | noun |
| Meaning | Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pull, out To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat That can be pulled out | A withdrawal, especially of armed forces The change of the flight of an aircraft from a dive to level or climbing flight |
| Example | I need to pull the splinter out of my hand | none recorded |
| Forms | none | pullouts |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 3 million words |
Sources: pull out and pullout in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of pull out and pullout
pull out
- 1
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pull, out
I need to pull the splinter out of my hand
- 2
That can be pulled out
- 3
Alternative form of pullout
- 4
To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat
The troops pulled out of the conflict
- 5
To transition from a dive to level or climbing flight
After releasing its bomb, the plane pulled out of its dive
- 6
To use coitus interruptus as a method of birth control
- 7
To remove something from a container
He pulled his gun out before she had a chance to scream
- 8
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
pullout
- 1
A withdrawal, especially of armed forces
- 2
The change of the flight of an aircraft from a dive to level or climbing flight
- 3
An object, such as a newspaper supplement, that can be pulled out from something else
- 4
Synonym of liftout (“quotation given special visual treatment”)
- 5
An area by the side of a road where vehicles may temporarily stop in safety. Typical pullouts allow drivers and passengers to safely exit the vehicle but rarely have additional amenities
- 6
The ending of a period of surfing by navigating the surfboard into or over the back of a wave
- 7
The coitus interruptus method of birth control
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, pull out or pullout?
pull out is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; pullout about once in every 3 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).