pull away

pull away

1. To drag, haul, or force someone or something away. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "pull" and "away." She pulled me away from the road just as the bus careered past. If you pull this drywall away, you can see that dry rot has begun to infest the walls.
2. To withdraw or move backward. I pulled away as she leaned in to kiss me. You can tell they used cheap glue because the stickers are already beginning to pull away from the toy.
3. Of a vehicle, to begin moving forward and away. It was only once the train started pulling away that I realized I'd left my laptop onboard.
4. To move to a superior position in a competition, either physically or figuratively. It was neck and neck for most of the race, but the blue car pulled away during the final lap. The score remained tied for most of the game, but the home team started pulling away with its field goal in the third quarter.
See also: away, pull
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

pull away

1. Move away or withdraw, as in The car pulled away from the curb. [Mid-1900s]
2. Move ahead or forward, as in His horse pulled away and took the lead.
See also: away, pull
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

pull away

v.
1. To draw or haul something or someone away from something or someone: She opened the box and gently pulled away the layers of tissue paper. He pulled the child's hand away from the hot stove.
2. To move away or backward; withdraw: When I leaned over to wipe the child's face, he pulled away. She tried to stop him from going, but he pulled away from her.
3. To start moving away, as a vehicle: She noted the car's license plate as it was pulling away. We waved goodbye as the boat pulled away from the dock.
4. To move ahead: The horse pulled away in the final stretch and won the race.
See also: away, pull
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • bring away
  • blaze away
  • blaze away at (someone or something)
  • bury away
  • boring
  • borne
  • bear away
  • chew away
  • chuck away
  • cut away
References in periodicals archive
But Great Britain & Ireland, captained by Paul McGinley, had enough in the tank in the later matches to pull away to a 15 1/2 to 12 1/2 victory, and their sixth in succession.
McGinley's men land Seve trophy [...]
GIANNI Zuiverloon claims Albion need to ensure they use the coming games to pull away from the chasing pack.
Gianni wants to build on big win
GULLS striker Jo Kuffour was the man of the moment as he grabbed a late winner to help his side pull away from the bottom of the table.
Football: KUFF STUFF FOR TOWN; Torquay 2 Huddersfield 1
Shortly after, the victims heard a car pull away and head towards Llandovery.
Caravan couple robbed at night
The pictures showed that the two chromosomes' origins of replication were usually at opposite ends of a dividing bacterium, implying that this region is involved when the bacterial chromosomes pull away from one another.
Bacterial chromosomes run to the poles
However, Ria Nabalan missed a three which led to Thailand racking up five straight points to pull away for good.
Philippines settles for silver in AUG women's basketball
Now there is nothing to indicate to passengers the fact the bus is ready to pull away.
Buses should signal when moving off; Letters extra
The under-18s faced a tougher task against league leaders Bury and, despite staying in touch with their opponents throughout the first half, a damaging third guarter saw Bury pull away and emerge 89-67 winners.
Basketball: Rebels are put down; ALL PICTURES BY GEOFF DAVIES
Given their appalling away form in the league, Roy Hodgson's side need to pick up as many wins as possible at home if they are to pull away from the bottom three.
HIGHLIGHTS
From what we understand the man attempted to grab the girl's arm but somehow she managed to pull away."
MAN GRABS GIRL OF FIVE
Leaders Mathare United will be seeking to pull away at the summit of the SportPesa Premier League table with victory away to Sony Sugar in Awendo as Tusker aim to leapfrog second-placed Bandari with a win over the dockers at Ruaraka.Mathare, top of the standings on 24 points, have a chance of pulling away especially with Bandari also in action on Thursday at Ruaraka.
KPL LIVE: Tusker host Bandari, leaders Mathare away to Sony
I really planned to pull away from them at the run leg.
PH team triathletes dominate PNG
Avena also stumbled with double bogeys on the 6th and 17th holes that helped Bagtas pull away.
Bagtas grabs Seniors lead by 4 strokes
When the lights changed he was too busy eating and drinking to pull away first but as we pulled away he decided to hoot his horn.
You say: Bad impression
"Then you see a child pull away from the group and starts running after the train."
Girl, 5, stranded as train pulls away; MUM PANICS AS DOORS SHUT LEAVING DAUGHTER ON PLATFORM