puller

puller — noun

1. A person, event, performance, or venue that attracts a large number of people or

1.nounB2
Definition

A person, event, performance, or venue that attracts a large number of people or brings in significant commercial interest.

Example

The summer music festival was a huge puller, drawing over fifty thousand visitors to the small town.

puller + draw + quantity

With its famous chocolate fountain, the dessert shop became a real puller for tourists exploring the old market.

real puller for [audience]

Common collocations
  • crowd-puller
  • big puller
  • real puller
  • box-office puller
  • tourist puller
Synonyms
  • draw

    More common as a noun for an attraction; 'puller' is less frequent but used similarly in informal British contexts.

  • attraction

    Broader — covers any appealing feature, not necessarily one that draws a crowd to a commercial venue.

  • magnet

    Informal and metaphorical; 'tourist magnet' is a common alternative to 'crowd-puller'.

Antonyms
  • turn-off

    Informal; describes something that repels people rather than attracting them.

Grammar Patterns

[noun] + puller — e.g. crowd-puller

Usage Note

Often used in compound nouns like crowd-puller (a performer or event that draws a large audience) or box-office puller (a film or show that sells many tickets). The stand-alone form puller is more common in British English than in American English.

Common Mistakes

This new cake shop is a big pull in our neighbourhood.
This new cake shop is a big puller in our neighbourhood.
'pull' as a noun can mean 'attraction' but 'puller' more clearly means 'the thing that attracts people.'

2. A person who uses physical strength to bring something closer by applying force

2.nounB1
Definition

A person who uses physical strength to bring something closer by applying force toward their own body.

Example

In a tug-of-war competition, a skilled puller at the back of the team can make all the difference.

skilled puller / tug-of-war context

The rescue workers took turns being the main puller on the rope as they tried to reach the trapped hiker.

main puller on the rope

Common collocations
  • strong puller
  • main puller
  • skilled puller
  • puller on the rope
Synonyms
  • hauler

    Usually describes someone who transports heavy loads, often with a vehicle; less specific to the pulling motion.

  • tugger

    Less common; implies short, repeated pulling motions as opposed to sustained force.

Antonyms
  • pusher

    Someone who applies force away from their body, the opposite direction of a puller.

Grammar Patterns

the + puller + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Applied to any situation where a person physically hauls or drags something toward themselves — from team sports to rescue operations to manual labour. The person on the other side is sometimes called the pusher.

3. A hand tool or mechanical device designed to grip a stuck or fitted part and rem

3.nounB2
Definition

A hand tool or mechanical device designed to grip a stuck or fitted part and remove it from its housing or mounting point.

Example

The mechanic used a bearing puller to remove the old wheel bearing from the axle without damaging it.

bearing puller / mechanical extraction

A cork puller is a simple kitchen gadget that lets you open a wine bottle cleanly without breaking the cork.

Common collocations
  • bearing puller
  • gear puller
  • cork puller
  • nail puller
  • three-arm puller
Synonyms
  • extractor

    A broader term for any tool that removes something; 'puller' is more specific to devices that apply pulling force.

  • remover

    Generic and informal; 'puller' is the standard term in professional mechanical contexts.

Grammar Patterns

[type] + puller — e.g. bearing puller, cork puller

Usage Note

Almost always appears with a modifier (bearing puller, gear puller, cork puller, nail puller) that specifies what the tool is designed to extract. The word is very rare in stand-alone form outside hardware catalogues.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something that generates public interest, but they differ in register and scope. Draw is neutral and widely used for any event or performer that pulls an audience: 'the show was a big draw.' Attraction is the most general and covers both physical places and abstract appealing features; it can be used in formal and informal contexts alike. Magnet is metaphorical and more informal, often combined with a modifier: 'tourist magnet' or 'shopping magnet.' Hit is distinctively about immediate commercial or popular success rather than audience-pulling power: a hit film may stop being a draw after its opening week. Puller sits closest to draw in meaning but is less common and leans toward British usage, especially in compound forms like crowd-puller or box-office puller. For example, you might say 'the new exhibition is a real crowd-puller' to emphasise its ability to bring people through the door, whereas 'the exhibition was a hit' tells you it was well received without specifying the pulling effect.

draw ↗attraction ↗magnet ↗hit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the verb 'pull' (to draw or tug toward oneself) plus the agent suffix '-er', which turns an action into a person or thing that performs that action. The verb 'pull' entered English from Middle English 'pullen', probably from Old English 'pullian' (to pluck, to draw). The suffix '-er' has been used since Old English to form agent nouns. The sense of 'puller' as a crowd-drawing attraction developed in the early 20th century from the figurative use of 'pull' meaning 'to have the power to attract.'