oil pull

verb

To swish vegetable oil in one's mouth for the purpose of detoxing the body and healing the teeth and gums.

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Meanings

verboil pull (third-person singular simple present oil pulls, present participle oil pulling, simple past and past participle oil pulled)

present singular third person oil pulls · participle present oil pulling · participle past oil pulled · past oil pulled

  1. transitiveTo swish vegetable oil in one's mouth for the purpose of detoxing the body and healing the teeth and gums.

    In desperation with seasonal sinus flare-up, I pulled out my coconut oil with a drop of peppermint and oil pulled for 20 minutes.

    2015, Dr. Michelle Coleman, Oil Pulling Revolution
    1 more example

    The most recommended oils are sesame, coconut or olive oil. It is also advised to oil pull in the morning, prior to drinking or eating anything.

    2014, Lindsay Sullivan, Emily V. Steinhauser, Oil Pulling and Essential Oils
nounoil pull (plural oil pulls)

plural oil pulls

  1. The act or an instance of oil pulling.

    If using Melissa to help a canker or cold sore, it is best done with shorter oil pulls of 5 to 10 minutes, three times a day.

    2015, Dr. Michelle Coleman, Oil Pulling Revolution

Origin

Back-formation from oil pulling.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

oil pull. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20pull

MLA

“oil pull.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20pull. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oil pull,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oil%20pull.

Source: oil pull on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.