Attraction vs. Pull — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 7, 2024
Attraction is the quality that draws objects or people together, often involving a magnetic or emotional appeal. Pull is a physical force exerted to draw something closer.
Difference Between Attraction and Pull
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Attraction is a quality or trait that makes someone or something appealing or interesting, often used metaphorically to describe emotional or psychological interest. Pull, on the other hand, is a force that physically draws an object toward another.
Attraction may refer to phenomena like gravitational or magnetic forces or to qualities that appeal to emotions, such as charisma. Pull involves a tangible application of force, like tugging a rope or drawing a door open.
Attraction is sometimes subtle, building over time or emerging from repeated exposure. Pull is typically immediate and directional, requiring direct contact or physical connection.
While attraction influences behavior indirectly through interest or desire, pull relies on direct action to change the position or movement of an object.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Quality that evokes interest or desire
Force applied to move something closer
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Nature
Often metaphorical or intangible
Physical and direct
Application
Emotional, gravitational, magnetic
Mechanical, muscular
Action
Indirect influence on movement
Direct influence through force
Timeframe
Builds gradually or subtly
Usually immediate and direct
Compare with Definitions
Attraction
The quality or influence that draws people or objects together.
The charming small town had a strong attraction for tourists.
Pull
To apply force to draw something closer or move it in a specific direction.
She tried to pull the heavy cart up the hill.
Attraction
An appealing or interesting quality.
Her intelligence and kindness were part of her attraction.
Pull
The action or effect of gravity or another attractive force.
The gravitational pull of the sun keeps planets in orbit.
Attraction
Interest or desire that captivates someone's attention.
The speaker's charisma was a major attraction for the audience.
Pull
An influence that convinces someone to act in a particular way.
He felt the pull of loyalty to his family when making decisions.
Attraction
A force that draws two bodies together due to gravity or magnetism.
The attraction between the Earth and the moon causes tides.
Pull
To attract or bring in a specific direction or target.
The store's promotional campaign managed to pull many new customers.
Attraction
The tendency for different substances to bond together.
Surface tension is partly due to the attraction between water molecules.
Pull
An exerted physical effort to move or control something.
He used all his strength to pull the door open.
Attraction
The act or capability of attracting.
Pull
To apply force to (something) so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force
Pulled her chair up to the table.
Pulled the wagon down the street.
Attraction
The quality of attracting; charm.
Pull
To remove from a fixed position; extract
The dentist pulled the tooth.
Attraction
A feature or characteristic that attracts.
Pull
To tug at; jerk or tweak
I pulled the lever until it broke.
Attraction
A person, place, thing, or event that is intended to attract
The main attraction was a Charlie Chaplin film.
Pull
To rip or tear; rend
The dog pulled the toy to pieces.
Attraction
A force exerted between bodies that tends to draw or hold them together, such as gravitational force or the electric or magnetic force between bodies of opposite polarity.
Pull
To stretch (taffy, for example) repeatedly.
Attraction
The tendency to attract.
The Moon is held in its orbit by the attraction of the Earth's gravity.
Pull
To strain (a muscle, for example) injuriously.
Attraction
The feeling of being attracted.
I felt a strange attraction towards the place.
Pull
(Informal) To attract; draw
A performer who pulls large crowds.
Attraction
(countable) An event, location, or business that has a tendency to draw interest from visitors, and in many cases, local residents.
The new mall should be a major attraction.
Star Tours is a very cool Disney World attraction.
Pull
(Slang) To draw out (a weapon) in readiness for use
Pull a gun.
Pulled a knife on me.
Attraction
(chess) The sacrifice of pieces in order to expose the enemy king.
Pull
(Informal) To remove
Pulled the car's engine.
Pulled the tainted meat product from the stores.
Attraction
(linguistics) An error in language production that incorrectly extends a feature from one word in a sentence to another, e.g. when a verb agrees with a noun other than its subject.
Pull
(Sports) To hit (a ball) so that it moves in the direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player.
Attraction
An invisible power in a body by which it draws anything to itself; the power in nature acting mutually between bodies or ultimate particles, tending to draw them together, or to produce their cohesion or combination, and conversely resisting separation.
Pull
To operate (an oar) in rowing.
Attraction
The act or property of attracting; the effect of the power or operation of attraction.
Pull
To transport or propel by rowing.
Attraction
The power or act of alluring, drawing to, inviting, or engaging; an attractive quality; as, the attraction of beauty or eloquence.
Pull
To be rowed by
That boat pulls six oars.
Attraction
That which attracts; an attractive object or feature.
Pull
To rein in (a horse) to keep it from winning a race.
Attraction
The force by which one object attracts another
Pull
(Printing) To produce (a print or an impression) from type.
Attraction
An entertainment that is offered to the public
Pull
To exert force in moving something toward the source of the force
Pull harder and the window will open.
Attraction
The quality of arousing interest; being attractive or something that attracts;
Her personality held a strange attraction for him
Pull
To move in a certain direction or toward a certain goal
Pulled into the driveway.
Pulled even with the race leader.
Attraction
A characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts;
Flowers are an attractor for bees
Pull
To gain a position closer to an objective
Our team has pulled within three points of the league leader.
Attraction
An entertainer who attracts large audiences;
He was the biggest drawing card they had
Pull
To drink or inhale deeply
Pulled on the cold beer with gusto.
Pull on a cigarette.
Pull
(Nautical) To row a boat.
Pull
(Informal) To express or feel great sympathy or empathy
We're pulling for our new president.
Pull
The act or process of pulling
Gave the drawer a pull.
Pull
Force exerted in pulling or required to overcome resistance in pulling
How much pull does this tugboat have?.
Pull
A sustained effort
A long pull across the mountains.
Pull
Something, such as a knob on a drawer, that is used for pulling.
Pull
A deep inhalation or draft, as on a cigarette or of a beverage.
Pull
(Slang) A means of gaining special advantage; influence
The lobbyist has pull with the senator.
Pull
(Informal) The ability to draw or attract; appeal
A star with pull at the box office.
Pull
To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force.
When I give the signal, pull the rope.
You're going to have to pull harder to get that cork out of the bottle.
Pull
To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward oneself; to pluck.
To pull fruit from a tree
Pull flax
Pull a finch
Pull
(transitive) To attract or net; to pull in.
Pull
(transitive) To remove (something), especially from public circulation or availability.
Each day, they pulled the old bread and set out fresh loaves.
The book was due to be released today, but it was pulled at the last minute over legal concerns.
Pull
(transitive) To retrieve or generate for use.
I'll have to pull a part number for that.
This computer file is incorrect. Can we pull the old version from your backups?
Pull
(construction) To obtain (a permit) from a regulatory authority.
It's the contractor's responsibility to pull the necessary permits before starting work.
Pull
To do or perform.
He regularly pulls 12-hour days, sometimes 14.
You'll be sent home if you pull another stunt like that.
Pull
(with 'a' and the name of a person, place, event, etc.) To copy or emulate the actions or behaviour that is associated with the person or thing mentioned.
He pulled an Elvis and got really fat.
Pull
To toss a frisbee with the intention of launching the disc across the length of a field.
Pull
(intransitive) To row.
Pull
To achieve by rowing on a rowing machine.
I pulled a personal best on the erg yesterday.
It had been a sort of race hitherto, and the rowers, with set teeth and compressed lips, had pulled stroke for stroke.
Pull
To draw apart; to tear; to rend.
Pull
(transitive) To strain (a muscle, tendon, ligament, etc.).
Pull
To draw (a hostile non-player character) into combat, or toward or away from some location or target.
Pull
(UK) To score a certain number of points in a sport.
How many points did you pull today, Albert?
Pull
(horse-racing) To hold back, and so prevent from winning.
The favourite was pulled.
Pull
To take or make (a proof or impression); so called because hand presses were worked by pulling a lever.
Pull
To strike the ball in a particular manner. (See noun sense.)
Pull
(UK) To draw beer from a pump, keg, or other source.
Let's stop at Finnigan's. The barman pulls a good pint.
Pull
(intransitive) To take a swig or mouthful of drink.
Pull
To pull out from a yard or station; to leave.
Pull
To pluck or pick (flowers, fruit etc.).
Pull
(sports) Command used by a target shooter to request that the target be released/launched.
Pull
An act of pulling applying force toward oneself.
He gave the hair a sharp pull and it came out.
Pull
An attractive force which causes motion towards the source.
The spaceship came under the pull of the gas giant.
Iron fillings drawn by the pull of a magnet
She took a pull on her cigarette.
Pull
An advantage over somebody; a means of influencing.
The hypnotist exerted a pull over his patients.
Pull
Any device meant to be pulled, as a lever, knob, handle, or rope.
A zipper pull
Pull
Something in one's favour in a comparison or a contest.
In weights the favourite had the pull.
Pull
Or attraction (e.g. of a movie star).
Pull
The situation where a client sends out a request for data from a server, as in server pull, pull technology
Pull
A journey made by rowing.
Pull
(dated) A contest; a struggle.
A wrestling pull
Pull
Loss or violence suffered.
Pull
(colloquial) The act of drinking; a mouthful or swig of a drink.
Pull
(cricket) A type of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the on side; a pull shot.
Pull
(golf) A mishit shot which travels in a straight line and (for a right-handed player) left of the intended path.
Pull
A single impression from a handpress.
Pull
(printing) A proof sheet.
Pull
To draw, or attempt to draw, toward one; to draw forcibly.
Ne'er pull your hat upon your brows.
He put forth his hand . . . and pulled her in.
Pull
To draw apart; to tear; to rend.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
Pull
To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward one; to pluck; as, to pull fruit; to pull flax; to pull a finch.
Pull
To move or operate by the motion of drawing towards one; as, to pull a bell; to pull an oar.
Pull
To hold back, and so prevent from winning; as, the favorite was pulled.
Pull
To take or make, as a proof or impression; - hand presses being worked by pulling a lever.
Pull
To exert one's self in an act or motion of drawing or hauling; to tug; as, to pull at a rope.
Pull
The act of pulling or drawing with force; an effort to move something by drawing toward one.
I awakened with a violent pull upon the ring which was fastened at the top of my box.
Pull
A contest; a struggle; as, a wrestling pull.
Pull
A pluck; loss or violence suffered.
Two pulls at once;His lady banished, and a limb lopped off.
Pull
A knob, handle, or lever, etc., by which anything is pulled; as, a drawer pull; a bell pull.
Pull
The act of rowing; as, a pull on the river.
Pull
The act of drinking; as, to take a pull at the beer, or the mug.
Pull
Something in one's favor in a comparison or a contest; an advantage; means of influencing; as, in weights the favorite had the pull.
Pull
A kind of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the side.
The pull is not a legitimate stroke, but bad cricket.
Pull
The act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you;
The pull up the hill had him breathing harder
His strenuous pulling strained his back
Pull
The force used in pulling;
The pull of the moon
The pull of the current
Pull
Special advantage or influence;
The chairman's nephew has a lot of pull
Pull
A device used for pulling something;
He grabbed the pull and opened the drawer
Pull
A sharp strain on muscles or ligaments;
The wrench to his knee occurred as he fell
He was sidelined with a hamstring pull
Pull
A slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke);
He took a puff on his pipe
He took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly
Pull
A sustained effort;
It was a long pull but we made it
Pull
Cause to move along the ground by pulling;
Draw a wagon
Pull a sled
Pull
Direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes;
Her good looks attract the stares of many men
The ad pulled in many potential customers
This pianist pulls huge crowds
The store owner was happy that the ad drew in many new customers
Pull
Move into a certain direction;
The car pulls to the right
Pull
Apply force so as to cause motion towards the source of the motion;
Pull the rope
Pull the handle towards you
Pull the string gently
Pull the trigger of the gun
Pull your kneees towards your chin
Pull
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation;
Perpetrate a crime
Pull a bank robbery
Pull
Bring, take, or pull out of a container or from under a cover;
Draw a weapon
Pull out a gun
The mugger pulled a knife on his victim
Pull
Steer into a certain direction;
Pull one's horse to a stand
Pull the car over
Pull
Strain abnormally;
I pulled a muscle in my leg when I jumped up
The athlete pulled a tendon in the competition
Pull
Cause to move in a certain direction by exerting a force upon, either physically or in an abstract sense;
A declining dollar pulled down the export figures for the last quarter
Pull
Operate when rowing a boat;
Pull the oars
Pull
Rein in to keep from winning a race;
Pull a horse
Pull
Tear or be torn violently;
The curtain ripped from top to bottom
Pull the cooked chicken into strips
Pull
Hit in the direction that the player is facing when carrying through the swing;
Pull the ball
Pull
Strip of feathers;
Pull a chicken
Pluck the capon
Pull
Draw or pull out, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense;
Pull weeds
Extract a bad tooth
Take out a splinter
Extract information from the telegram
Pull
Take sides with; align oneself with; show strong sympathy for;
We all rooted for the home team
I'm pulling for the underdog
Are you siding with the defender of the title?
Pull
Take away;
Pull the old soup cans from the supermarket shelf
Common Curiosities
Can attraction occur without direct interaction?
Yes, attraction often works through indirect means like influence or charisma.
Is pull stronger than attraction?
It depends on the context; physical pull is usually more direct and immediate.
Can attraction lead to a pull?
Yes, emotional or metaphorical attraction can sometimes prompt a physical pull.
Is attraction always related to emotions?
No, attraction can also refer to physical forces like gravity or magnetism.
Is a gravitational pull the same as a gravitational attraction?
Yes, both terms often describe the same concept.
Can something repel and attract at the same time?
Some phenomena, like magnetic poles, can attract or repel depending on orientation.
Is "attraction" ever interchangeable with "pull"?
Rarely, because attraction often implies subtle influence, while pull is more direct.
Does pull always involve physical contact?
Not always; "pull" can describe non-physical influences like the pull of loyalty.
Can attraction and pull happen simultaneously?
Yes, an attractive force can occur alongside a pulling action.
Is pull always a positive influence?
Not necessarily; "pull" can have neutral or negative connotations, depending on the context.
Can attraction be a negative force?
Yes, attraction isn't always beneficial and can sometimes lead to unwanted outcomes.
How does attraction relate to motivation?
Attraction can influence motivations by shaping interests and desires.
Do magnetic attraction and pull mean the same thing?
Not exactly; magnetic attraction describes the force itself, while pull implies an active movement.
Are attraction and pull relevant in psychology?
Yes, both terms describe forces that shape behaviors and relationships.
Is "pull" commonly used in emotional contexts?
Not as frequently as "attraction," but "pull" can describe influences like loyalty.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
