Pull over meaning
Pull over means to drive to the side of the road and stop. It can also mean to make a driver stop at the side of the road.
pull over
pull over · pulled · pulling
I felt sick, so Dad pulled over.
Pull over meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.
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1
Drive to the side of the road and stop
pull over
- I felt sick, so Dad pulled over.
- Can you pull over here? I need to check the map.
- We pulled over to let the ambulance pass.
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2
Make a driver stop at the side of the road
pull somebody or something over
- The police pulled me over for speeding.
- Why did they pull over that blue van?
- I’ve never been pulled over in twenty years of driving.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use pull over in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is pull over separable?
When the driver stops, pull over has no object: She pulled over. When the police stop a driver, the person goes in the middle: They pulled him over, pulled the car over.
The noun pullover, one word, is something different: a warm sweater you pull over your head.
Verb tenses for pull over
| Present | I pull over · she pulls over |
|---|---|
| Past | pulled over |
| Present perfect | have pulled over |
| -ing form | pulling over |
Common mistakes with pull over
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The police pulled over me on the motorway.
Right: The police pulled me over on the motorway.
A pronoun goes between pull and over.
Wrong: He pulled over the car at the side of the road.
Right: He pulled over at the side of the road.
When the driver stops, there is usually no object.
Wrong: It’s cold, so I’m wearing my pull over.
Right: It’s cold, so I’m wearing my pullover.
The sweater is one word, pullover. The verb is two words.
Synonyms and opposites of pull over
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- pull upstop a car, often at a place like a door or lights
- stopthe general word for not moving
- parkleave a car in a place for some time
Opposite
- pull outdrive from the side onto the road
- drive onkeep driving and not stop
Pull over quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1The road was icy, so the driver ___ and waited.
Pull over means drive to the side and stop.
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2Choose the right sentence.
With a pronoun, it goes between pull and over.
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3“I got pulled over last night.” What happened?
Get pulled over means the police made you stop your car.
More phrasal verbs with pull
3 phrasal verbs start with pull. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Pull over FAQ
Questions people ask about pull over.
What does getting pulled over mean?
It means the police stop your car to talk to you, often because of speed or a light that is broken. I got pulled over for speeding.
Pull over vs pull up: what is the difference?
Pull over means stop at the side of the road. Pull up means stop, often at a place: A taxi pulled up outside the hotel.
What is a pullover?
A pullover is a warm knitted top with long sleeves that you pull over your head, like a sweater or jumper.
Use pull over in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.