Attraction vs. Pull: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 6, 2023
Attraction generally refers to the emotional, physical, or aesthetic draw towards something or someone. Pull is a term that usually refers to a physical force exerted on an object or the action of drawing something closer.
Key Differences
Attraction is a multifaceted term that can refer to the emotional or aesthetic appeal of something, like a person, place, or object. It could be the romantic attraction between two people, or the allure of a tourist destination. The word is used in a wide array of contexts, from psychology to tourism.
Pull, in contrast, is often related to the act of drawing something towards oneself or the action of being drawn toward something, typically through a physical force. Pull is often used in a mechanical or physics-based context, but can also refer to metaphorical forces such as "gravitational pull" in relationships or situations.
Both words, attraction and pull, can describe a relationship between two entities but usually in different contexts. Attraction is often more emotional, psychological, or aesthetic, while pull is often more physical or metaphorical but more action-oriented. They can be synonymous in certain contexts but are not usually interchangeable.
Grammatically speaking, both "attraction" and "pull" function as nouns. "Attraction" can also serve as a noun adjunct, as in "attraction force," while "pull" can be both a noun and a verb, as in "pull the door."
Comparison Chart
Context
Often emotional, aesthetic, psychological
Physical or metaphorical
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Grammatical Role
Mainly Noun
Both Noun and Verb
Action/State
Usually describes a state of being drawn to something
Describes the act of drawing or being drawn
Fields
Psychology, human relations, tourism
Physics, mechanical engineering
Verb Forms
None
"Pulling," "Pulled"
Attraction and Pull Definitions
Attraction
Romantic Interest
The attraction between them was instantaneous.
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Pull
Magnetic Force
The pull of the Earth keeps us grounded.
Attraction
Aesthetic Appeal
The attraction of the painting is its vibrant colors.
Pull
Emotional Draw
The pull of nostalgia brought her back home.
Attraction
Psychological Draw
The attraction of gambling is the thrill of risk.
Pull
Influential Force
The senator has a lot of pull in Congress.
Attraction
Tourist Site
The museum is a major attraction in the city.
Pull
Mechanical Action
The pull of the lever activated the machine.
Attraction
The act or capability of attracting.
Pull
To apply force to (something) so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force
Pulled her chair up to the table.
Pulled the wagon down the street.
Attraction
The quality of attracting; charm.
Pull
To remove from a fixed position; extract
The dentist pulled the tooth.
Attraction
A feature or characteristic that attracts.
Pull
To tug at; jerk or tweak
I pulled the lever until it broke.
Attraction
A person, place, thing, or event that is intended to attract
The main attraction was a Charlie Chaplin film.
Pull
To rip or tear; rend
The dog pulled the toy to pieces.
Attraction
A force exerted between bodies that tends to draw or hold them together, such as gravitational force or the electric or magnetic force between bodies of opposite polarity.
Pull
To stretch (taffy, for example) repeatedly.
Attraction
The tendency to attract.
The Moon is held in its orbit by the attraction of the Earth's gravity.
Pull
To strain (a muscle, for example) injuriously.
Attraction
The feeling of being attracted.
I felt a strange attraction towards the place.
Pull
(Informal) To attract; draw
A performer who pulls large crowds.
Attraction
(countable) An event, location, or business that has a tendency to draw interest from visitors, and in many cases, local residents.
The new mall should be a major attraction.
Star Tours is a very cool Disney World attraction.
Pull
(Slang) To draw out (a weapon) in readiness for use
Pull a gun.
Pulled a knife on me.
Attraction
(chess) The sacrifice of pieces in order to expose the enemy king.
Pull
(Informal) To remove
Pulled the car's engine.
Pulled the tainted meat product from the stores.
Attraction
(linguistics) An error in language production that incorrectly extends a feature from one word in a sentence to another, e.g. when a verb agrees with a noun other than its subject.
Pull
(Sports) To hit (a ball) so that it moves in the direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player.
Attraction
An invisible power in a body by which it draws anything to itself; the power in nature acting mutually between bodies or ultimate particles, tending to draw them together, or to produce their cohesion or combination, and conversely resisting separation.
Pull
To operate (an oar) in rowing.
Attraction
The act or property of attracting; the effect of the power or operation of attraction.
Pull
To transport or propel by rowing.
Attraction
The power or act of alluring, drawing to, inviting, or engaging; an attractive quality; as, the attraction of beauty or eloquence.
Pull
To be rowed by
That boat pulls six oars.
Attraction
That which attracts; an attractive object or feature.
Pull
To rein in (a horse) to keep it from winning a race.
Attraction
The force by which one object attracts another
Pull
(Printing) To produce (a print or an impression) from type.
Attraction
An entertainment that is offered to the public
Pull
To exert force in moving something toward the source of the force
Pull harder and the window will open.
Attraction
The quality of arousing interest; being attractive or something that attracts;
Her personality held a strange attraction for him
Pull
To move in a certain direction or toward a certain goal
Pulled into the driveway.
Pulled even with the race leader.
Attraction
A characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts;
Flowers are an attractor for bees
Pull
To gain a position closer to an objective
Our team has pulled within three points of the league leader.
Attraction
An entertainer who attracts large audiences;
He was the biggest drawing card they had
Pull
To drink or inhale deeply
Pulled on the cold beer with gusto.
Pull on a cigarette.
Attraction
Magnetic Force
The attraction of the magnet was strong.
Pull
(Nautical) To row a boat.
Pull
(Informal) To express or feel great sympathy or empathy
We're pulling for our new president.
Pull
The act or process of pulling
Gave the drawer a pull.
Pull
Force exerted in pulling or required to overcome resistance in pulling
How much pull does this tugboat have?.
Pull
A sustained effort
A long pull across the mountains.
Pull
Something, such as a knob on a drawer, that is used for pulling.
Pull
A deep inhalation or draft, as on a cigarette or of a beverage.
Pull
(Slang) A means of gaining special advantage; influence
The lobbyist has pull with the senator.
Pull
(Informal) The ability to draw or attract; appeal
A star with pull at the box office.
Pull
To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force.
When I give the signal, pull the rope.
You're going to have to pull harder to get that cork out of the bottle.
Pull
To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward oneself; to pluck.
To pull fruit from a tree
Pull flax
Pull a finch
Pull
(transitive) To attract or net; to pull in.
Pull
To persuade (someone) to have sex with one.
I pulled at the club last night.
He's pulled that bird over there.
Pull
(transitive) To remove (something), especially from public circulation or availability.
Each day, they pulled the old bread and set out fresh loaves.
The book was due to be released today, but it was pulled at the last minute over legal concerns.
Pull
(transitive) To retrieve or generate for use.
I'll have to pull a part number for that.
This computer file is incorrect. Can we pull the old version from your backups?
Pull
(construction) To obtain (a permit) from a regulatory authority.
It's the contractor's responsibility to pull the necessary permits before starting work.
Pull
To do or perform.
He regularly pulls 12-hour days, sometimes 14.
You'll be sent home if you pull another stunt like that.
Pull
(with 'a' and the name of a person, place, event, etc.) To copy or emulate the actions or behaviour that is associated with the person or thing mentioned.
He pulled an Elvis and got really fat.
Pull
To toss a frisbee with the intention of launching the disc across the length of a field.
Pull
(intransitive) To row.
Pull
To achieve by rowing on a rowing machine.
I pulled a personal best on the erg yesterday.
It had been a sort of race hitherto, and the rowers, with set teeth and compressed lips, had pulled stroke for stroke.
Pull
To draw apart; to tear; to rend.
Pull
(transitive) To strain (a muscle, tendon, ligament, etc.).
Pull
To draw (a hostile non-player character) into combat, or toward or away from some location or target.
Pull
(UK) To score a certain number of points in a sport.
How many points did you pull today, Albert?
Pull
(horse-racing) To hold back, and so prevent from winning.
The favourite was pulled.
Pull
To take or make (a proof or impression); so called because hand presses were worked by pulling a lever.
Pull
To strike the ball in a particular manner. (See noun sense.)
Pull
(UK) To draw beer from a pump, keg, or other source.
Let's stop at Finnigan's. The barman pulls a good pint.
Pull
(intransitive) To take a swig or mouthful of drink.
Pull
To pull out from a yard or station; to leave.
Pull
To pluck or pick (flowers, fruit etc.).
Pull
(sports) Command used by a target shooter to request that the target be released/launched.
Pull
An act of pulling applying force toward oneself.
He gave the hair a sharp pull and it came out.
Pull
An attractive force which causes motion towards the source.
The spaceship came under the pull of the gas giant.
Iron fillings drawn by the pull of a magnet
She took a pull on her cigarette.
Pull
An advantage over somebody; a means of influencing.
The hypnotist exerted a pull over his patients.
Pull
Any device meant to be pulled, as a lever, knob, handle, or rope.
A zipper pull
Pull
Something in one's favour in a comparison or a contest.
In weights the favourite had the pull.
Pull
Or attraction (e.g. of a movie star).
Pull
The situation where a client sends out a request for data from a server, as in server pull, pull technology
Pull
A journey made by rowing.
Pull
(dated) A contest; a struggle.
A wrestling pull
Pull
Loss or violence suffered.
Pull
(colloquial) The act of drinking; a mouthful or swig of a drink.
Pull
(cricket) A type of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the on side; a pull shot.
Pull
(golf) A mishit shot which travels in a straight line and (for a right-handed player) left of the intended path.
Pull
A single impression from a handpress.
Pull
(printing) A proof sheet.
Pull
To draw, or attempt to draw, toward one; to draw forcibly.
Ne'er pull your hat upon your brows.
He put forth his hand . . . and pulled her in.
Pull
To draw apart; to tear; to rend.
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
Pull
To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward one; to pluck; as, to pull fruit; to pull flax; to pull a finch.
Pull
To move or operate by the motion of drawing towards one; as, to pull a bell; to pull an oar.
Pull
To hold back, and so prevent from winning; as, the favorite was pulled.
Pull
To take or make, as a proof or impression; - hand presses being worked by pulling a lever.
Pull
To exert one's self in an act or motion of drawing or hauling; to tug; as, to pull at a rope.
Pull
The act of pulling or drawing with force; an effort to move something by drawing toward one.
I awakened with a violent pull upon the ring which was fastened at the top of my box.
Pull
A contest; a struggle; as, a wrestling pull.
Pull
A pluck; loss or violence suffered.
Two pulls at once;His lady banished, and a limb lopped off.
Pull
A knob, handle, or lever, etc., by which anything is pulled; as, a drawer pull; a bell pull.
Pull
The act of rowing; as, a pull on the river.
Pull
The act of drinking; as, to take a pull at the beer, or the mug.
Pull
Something in one's favor in a comparison or a contest; an advantage; means of influencing; as, in weights the favorite had the pull.
Pull
A kind of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the side.
The pull is not a legitimate stroke, but bad cricket.
Pull
The act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you;
The pull up the hill had him breathing harder
His strenuous pulling strained his back
Pull
The force used in pulling;
The pull of the moon
The pull of the current
Pull
Special advantage or influence;
The chairman's nephew has a lot of pull
Pull
A device used for pulling something;
He grabbed the pull and opened the drawer
Pull
A sharp strain on muscles or ligaments;
The wrench to his knee occurred as he fell
He was sidelined with a hamstring pull
Pull
A slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke);
He took a puff on his pipe
He took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly
Pull
A sustained effort;
It was a long pull but we made it
Pull
Cause to move along the ground by pulling;
Draw a wagon
Pull a sled
Pull
Direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes;
Her good looks attract the stares of many men
The ad pulled in many potential customers
This pianist pulls huge crowds
The store owner was happy that the ad drew in many new customers
Pull
Move into a certain direction;
The car pulls to the right
Pull
Apply force so as to cause motion towards the source of the motion;
Pull the rope
Pull the handle towards you
Pull the string gently
Pull the trigger of the gun
Pull your kneees towards your chin
Pull
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation;
Perpetrate a crime
Pull a bank robbery
Pull
Bring, take, or pull out of a container or from under a cover;
Draw a weapon
Pull out a gun
The mugger pulled a knife on his victim
Pull
Steer into a certain direction;
Pull one's horse to a stand
Pull the car over
Pull
Strain abnormally;
I pulled a muscle in my leg when I jumped up
The athlete pulled a tendon in the competition
Pull
Cause to move in a certain direction by exerting a force upon, either physically or in an abstract sense;
A declining dollar pulled down the export figures for the last quarter
Pull
Operate when rowing a boat;
Pull the oars
Pull
Rein in to keep from winning a race;
Pull a horse
Pull
Tear or be torn violently;
The curtain ripped from top to bottom
Pull the cooked chicken into strips
Pull
Hit in the direction that the player is facing when carrying through the swing;
Pull the ball
Pull
Strip of feathers;
Pull a chicken
Pluck the capon
Pull
Draw or pull out, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense;
Pull weeds
Extract a bad tooth
Take out a splinter
Extract information from the telegram
Pull
Take sides with; align oneself with; show strong sympathy for;
We all rooted for the home team
I'm pulling for the underdog
Are you siding with the defender of the title?
Pull
Take away;
Pull the old soup cans from the supermarket shelf
Pull
Physical Action
He used a strong pull to open the door.
FAQs
Can attraction be physical?
Yes, attraction can be physical, emotional, or aesthetic.
Can attraction be mutual?
Yes, attraction can be mutual between two entities.
Does pull always involve two objects?
Generally, pull involves at least two entities—a source and a recipient of the force.
Is pull always a physical action?
No, pull can also describe metaphorical or emotional forces.
Is attraction subjective?
Often, attraction is subjective and varies from person to person.
Can you "feel" attraction?
Many people claim to "feel" attraction, either emotionally or physically.
Can pull be negative?
In physics, pull is a force and can have direction but is not termed as "negative."
Can attraction be platonic?
Yes, attraction can be platonic, without romantic intent.
What's the opposite of attraction?
The opposite of attraction could be repulsion or indifference.
Can attraction be controlled?
The degree to which one can control attraction varies individually.
Can pull be a verb?
Yes, "pull" can function as both a noun and a verb.
What units are used to measure pull?
Pull can be measured in units like Newtons in physics.
What does "gravitational pull" mean?
It refers to the force exerted by a mass on another mass due to gravity.
Can pull be measured?
In physics, pull can be quantified in terms of force.
Can attraction exist without action?
Yes
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
