Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act or process of pulling back, especially an orderly troop withdrawal.
  • noun A device for holding or drawing back.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun That which keeps one back or restrains; a drawback.
  • noun In modern costume for women, a contrivance by which the folds of the skirt behind were held together closely, so that the skirt in front was drawn tightly and hung straight down. It was in fashion about 1885.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun That which holds back, or causes to recede; a drawback; a hindrance.
  • noun (Arch) The iron hook fixed to a casement to pull it shut, or to hold it party open at a fixed point.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act or result of pulling back; a withdrawal
  • noun That which holds back, or causes to recede; a drawback; a hindrance.
  • noun architecture The iron hook fixed to a casement to pull it shut, or to hold it partly open at a fixed point.
  • noun finance A reduction in the price of a financial instrument after reaching a peak
  • noun category theory Given a pair of morphisms and with a common codomain, Z, their pullback is a pair of morphisms and as well as their common domain, P, such that the equation is satisfied, and for which there is the universal property that for any other object Q for which there are also morphisms , ; there is a unique morphism such that and .

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
  • verb move to a rearward position; pull towards the back
  • verb stretch back a bowstring (on an archer's bow)
  • verb pull back or move away or backward
  • verb make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity
  • noun (military) the act of pulling back (especially an orderly withdrawal of troops)
  • noun a device (as a decorative loop of cord or fabric) for holding or drawing something back

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

pull +‎ back

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Examples

  • "Traders might be unwilling to make a commitment until they see the short term reaction," explaining why gold hasn't skyrocketed, "but I would say any short term pullback in gold on successful debt talks I would be a buyer."

    unknown title 2011

  • While the trend remains bullish, there might be a short term pullback in the cards as the stock is a bit overbought there.

    unknown title 2012

  • "Metal, banking and coal stocks have risen quite a bit since the start of the month and a technical pullback is warranted, given signs of an economic growth slowdown and the recent rate hike," said Li Jing, analyst from Huatai Securities.

    Asia Shares Rise, Led by Tech Shri Navaratnam 2010

  • Some analysts feel the market's strong rally on Thursday and over the past couple weeks—the Dow has run up 784 points since June 24—indicates strong jobs numbers are already priced in, leaving the market vulnerable to a short-term pullback.

    Stocks Primed for New Highs After Release of Jobs Data Tomi Kilgore 2011

  • While there is some risk of a short-term pullback, given high investor expectations, analysts feel the stock market's solid showing on Thursday suggests any weakness will be shallow and short-lived.

    Stocks Primed for New Highs After Release of Jobs Data Tomi Kilgore 2011

  • Market participants are mixed on whether the crude is just suffering a series of short-term fluctuations--or the beginning of a longer-term pullback.

    Oil Futures Fall to 3-Week Lows Christian Berthelsen 2011

  • "I would view any short-term pullback as opportunity to enter the market," Wells Fargo's Mr. Jacobsen said.

    Stock Investors Mostly Shrug Off Debt Debate Steven Russolillo 2011

  • For those looking to own the stock, the short-term pullback caused by the antenna problem may have created a buying opportunity.

    Apple's iPhone 4 Problems Are A Blessing In Disguise 2010

  • For those looking to own the stock, the short-term pullback caused by the antenna problem may have created a buying opportunity.

    Apple's iPhone 4 Problems Are A Blessing In Disguise 2010

  • "The data lately has weakened again and the question remains as to whether this is a short-term pullback caused by the bad weather, or a double dip," said Ted Ake, head of Treasury and agency trading in New York at Societe Generale SA.

    A Comeback for Corporate Debt KELLIE GERESSY-NILSEN 2010

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