pull-up

UK, US/ˈpʊl.ʌp/

noun

An exercise done for strengthening the arms and back in which one lifts one's own weight while hanging from a bar. Palms may be facing in any direction.

Meanings

pull-up1

nounpull-up (plural pull-ups)

plural pull-ups · alternative pullup · alternative pull up

  1. An exercise done for strengthening the arms and back in which one lifts one's own weight while hanging from a bar. Palms may be facing in any direction.

    2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii I did lots of push-ups and pull-ups, and my only regret is that I stopped doing them as a young adult when I finally got to work out in health clubs instead of my basement or garage.

    1 more example

    DeWitt compared the average number of pullups college men can do grasping the bar with palms toward the face (supinated) and palms away from the face (pronated), and with kicking and kipping while raising the body. The subjects averaged 2.08 more pullups with the palms supinated than with the palms pronated.

    1978 Physical Fitness Research Digest page 3
verbpull-up (third-person singular simple present pull-ups, present participle pull-upping, simple past and past participle pull-upped)

present singular third person pull-ups · participle present pull-upping · participle past pull-upped · past pull-upped · alternative pullup · alternative pull up

  1. To do a pull-up or pull oneself up similarly.

    2012, The Young Despondents. Jason M. Burns. With a sleek yet muscular build, Nick out pullupped everyone during physical fitness week

    1 more example

    2010, Designation Gold Rogue Warrior. Richard Marcinko From there, things were easy—well, relatively easy. I stood on the rail, reached up, grasped the floor of the balcony above, fingertip pull-upped onto the lip, found another four inches of finger purchase, raised myself high enough […]

pull-up2

nounpull-up (plural pull-ups)

plural pull-ups · alternative pullup · alternative pull up

  1. Synonym of training pants (“undergarments worn by incontinent people, typically infants, to aid in toilet training during the transition between diapers and underpants”).

    Synonyms: training pants

pull-up3

nounpull-up (plural pull-ups)

plural pull-ups · alternative pullup · alternative pull up

  1. businessA pull-up resistor.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of training pants (“undergarments worn by incontinent people, typically infants, to aid in toilet training during the transition between diapers and underpants”).

More synonyms by meaning

nouna roadside cafe especially for lorry drivers

Similar

nounan arm exercise performed by pulling yourself up on a horizontal bar until your chin is level with the bar

Similar
Broader
arm exercise

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

pull-up · noun, verb

Deverbal from pull up.

Full word history & related roots →

pull-up · noun

Genericized trademark: from the Pull-Ups brand of training pants sold by Huggies.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian набиране
  • набиране (nabirane)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Chinese Cantonese 引體上升 /引体上升
  • 引體上升 /引体上升 (jan⁵ tai² soeng⁶ sing¹)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Chinese Mandarin 引體向上 /引体向上
  • 引體向上 /引体向上 (yǐntǐxiàngshàng)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Czech shyb
  • shyban exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Danish kropshævning
  • kropshævningan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Estonian lõuatõmme
  • lõuatõmmean exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Finnish leuanveto
  • leuanvetoan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
French traction
  • tractionan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
German Klimmzug
  • Klimmzugan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Greek έλξη
  • έλξη (élxi)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Hungarian húzódzkodás
  • húzódzkodásan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Italian trazione alla sbarra
  • trazione alla sbarraan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Japanese 懸垂
  • 懸垂 (kensui)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Korean 턱걸이
  • 턱걸이 (teokgeori)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Lithuanian prisitraukimas
  • prisitraukimasan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Malay tarik tubi
  • tarik tubian exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Norwegian Bokmål kroppsheving
  • kroppshevingan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Polish podciąganie się na drążku
  • podciąganie się na drążkuan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Romanian tracțiune
  • tracțiunean exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Russian подтя́гивание
  • подтя́гивание (podtjágivanije)an exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Spanish barbilla, ejercicio de tracción
  • barbillaan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
  • ejercicio de tracciónan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
  • dominadaan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Swedish räckhäv
  • räckhävan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Tagalog pagbabaras
  • pagbabarasan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Turkish barfiks
  • barfiksan exercise done for strengthening the arms and back
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“pull-up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull-up. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

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

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