These words refer to the action of moving something towards one or in the same direction in which one is moving. Pull is the most general word in the group, embracing all the other terms within its meaning: pulli ng the cart behind him; pulling a straw from the broom; pulling the fallen climber out of the crevasse. While pull can suggest movement in any direction, drag usually refers to horizontal motion or motion up an incline; it suggests laborious effort over rough ground or against friction, resistance or gravity: dragging his feet across the floor; dragging the body out of the crashed aircraft; dragging each stone for the pyramid up the long hill. Draw has the same root as drag , and almost the same sense, except that it may also involve some form of traction, as with a small vehicle or cart: She drew him tenderly towards her; The boy drew the load of newspapers around the streets in his billy cart.

Haul is like drag in suggesting laborious effort and rough going, but it is like pull in suggesting movement in any direction: hauling the loaded basket up two stories by a long, sturdy rope; hauling the raft over the sandbar. Tug and yank both refer to intermittent or quick pulls on something: tugging at my sleeve to ask directions; tugging at his chains. Yank is much more informal than tug and might be considered slang by some. The word suggests abruptness and, unlike tug , is more often used of a single motion than a series of small, quick motions: yanking me bodily from my chair; yanking the picture from the wall.