Resources
Lecciones de gramáticaPor temasFlash cardsLecturasEjercicios de listeningGlosarioFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijosDiscover your levelBlogPullvsPush
"Pull" is to draw something toward you; "push" is to move something away from you.
Side-by-side comparison
To draw something toward yourself. Also: an attractive influence (as in "pull factor" in migration).
Pull the door toward you. It does not push open.
She pulled the child away from the edge of the pool.
He pulled the drawer open and found the old letter inside.
To move something away from you. Also: to pressure, promote, or insist on something.
Push the button to call the elevator.
She had to push through the crowd to get to the exit.
The company is pushing a new product line this quarter.
Common mistake
- •"Pull" = the force goes toward you.
- •"Push" = the force goes away from you.
- •On doors: "PULL" (toward you) vs "PUSH" (away from you).
- •The error of pushing a door labelled "PULL" is so universal it has a name: "Norman door" (a badly designed door that confuses users).
Trick to remember it
- •Body visualization: "pull" = you close your hand and bring something toward your chest.
- •"Push" = you extend your arms and move something away.
- •On doors: if it has a handle to grip = pull; if it has a flat plate = push (nothing to grab).
Quick rule
- •"Pull" = draw toward you.
- •"Push" = move away from you.
Did you know?
In the world of software and Git, PUSH and PULL have technical meanings perfectly consistent with the physical sense. "Git push" sends (pushes) your commits to the remote server: you move them away from your machine. "Git pull" fetches (pulls) changes from the remote server to your local repository: you draw them toward you. A "PULL REQUEST" (PR) is literally a request for someone else to pull (incorporate) your changes into their branch. And in marketing, the "push marketing" vs "pull marketing" distinction is fundamental: push marketing pushes the message toward the consumer (ads, spam); pull marketing attracts the consumer toward the brand (SEO, valuable content).
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The door says "_____ " on it. Don't push it — it won't open that way.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She had to _____ the heavy trolley up the slope. It was exhausting.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One moves something toward you, the other moves it away from you.
One moves toward the speaker, the other moves away from the speaker.
"Let" is to permit casually or personally; "allow" is to permit formally or with authority.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy