pull off — achieve something difficult
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to succeed in doing something that is difficult or unexpected, especially when others thought it was unlikely.
Say it like a native
Textbook Against considerable odds, they succeeded in accomplishing the feat.
Native Somehow they pulled it off.
'Pull off' is the natural way to say you achieved something tough; the formal version is overblown.
Pattern: pull off something | pull something off
In use
- No one thought the underdog team could pull off a win, but they surprised everyone.work
- In my opinion, it takes a lot of determination to pull off a successful business launch, especially in a competitive market.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I can't believe they pulled off it.
✓ I can't believe they pulled it off.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'pull it off'.
Common collocations
pull off + feat— it off, a win, the deal, a surprise
Don't confuse it
Unlike the literal sense of 'pull off' (e.g., to remove something by pulling), this sense is figurative and refers to accomplishing something difficult.