What is the Latin word for pull?

The usual Latin words for “pull” are trahō, attrahō, retrahō; also dēstruō, dēmōlior, ēvertō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“pull” in Latin

trahōto drag, pull; to trail; to extract, withdraw, derive, take away attrahōto draw, pull or drag to or towards with force; to draw, allure, lead, bring, move, attract retrahōto draw or pull back, withdraw; call back, remove; withhold; divert; to drag back, fetch back, bring back a person; to d dēstruōto destroy, demolish, ruin dēmōliorto demolish, tear down ēvertōto turn upside down, overturn, reverse; to upset, disturb, agitate, roil; to throw down, cause to fall statuōto put up (something); to stand (something) in an upright position; to establish, determine, fix (the form or character discutiōto strike asunder, dash to pieces, shatter; to scatter or disperse, dissipate (especially an enemy); to examine, discuss abscindōto tear, rend off or away (especially with the hand); to separate, divide, cut off; alienate

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

pull v.

trahere: attrahere (to pull toward one’s self). To pull back, retrahere: to pull down, (aedificium) destruere (opposed to construere), demoliri (with violence): evertere (e.g., a statue): disjicere (e.g., walls, fortifications, statues): discutere (to shatter to pieces; a column, part of a wall, etc.).

To PULL OFF, detrahere alicui aliquid, de aliqua re; abscindere (☞ not abscidere); avellere (to pluck off, pull off): abrumpere (to break off): to pull off fruit from trees, poma ex arboribus avellere (Cic., Cat., Maj., 19, 71, Orelli): to pull off bars from doors, claustra portarum avellere: to pull off clothes, exuere (opposed to induere; to be distinguished from deponere, to put off; opposed to amicire): to pull off anyone’s clothes, exuere aliquem veste; exuere or detrahere alicui vestem; one’s own clothes, se exuere vestibus; vestes sibi detrahere: to pull off anyone’s shoes, aliquem excalceare; one’s own shoes, excalceari, excalceare pedes: to make another pull off one’s shoes, pedes excalceandos praebere alicui.

To PULL OUT, PULL UP, vellere, evellere; revellere (to tear away): intervellere (to pull out here and there, to pull out in part): eruere (PROP., to dig out; eyes and teeth): extrahere (to draw out). To pull up by the roots, radicitus vellere, evellere, extrahere; exstirpare: to pull out a tooth, dentem evellere (alicui); dentem eximere (alicui): to pull out one’s eyes, oculos alicui eripere or eruere.

pull s.

tractus, -ūs; or rather by the verbs.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for pull?: The usual Latin words for “pull” are trahō, attrahō, retrahō; also dēstruō, dēmōlior, ēvertō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.