pull up short

verb

Synonym of bring up short.

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bring up short
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Meanings

verbpull up short (third-person singular simple present pulls up short, present participle pulling up short, simple past and past participle pulled up short)

present singular third person pulls up short · participle present pulling up short · participle past pulled up short · past pulled up short

  1. transitiveSynonym of bring up short.

    Synonyms: bring up short

  2. intransitivehuman sciencesTo be overwhelmed or dumbfounded by events.

    Deborah Kerdeman asks us to prepare for the occasions on which we will be “pulled up short.”

    2015, Mary Jo Hinsdale, Mutuality, Mystery, and Mentorship in Higher Education, page 99

Synonyms & antonyms

verbSynonym of bring up short.

Similar
bring up short
Also see
bring up short
Cite this entry
APA

pull up short. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20up%20short

MLA

“pull up short.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20up%20short. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull up short,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20up%20short.

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