Pull over means to move to the side of the road and stop (about a driver or a car). It's usually a short or unplanned stop: to check the map, change a tyre or answer a call. The second meaning is to make a driver stop, used about the police: The police pulled him over.
Want to use pull over in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
pull over (to the side of the road); pull + someone/car + over; be pulled over (for + speeding)
- I pulled over to check the map because the sat nav had stopped working.
- Could you pull over here, please? I'll walk the rest of the way.
- She was pulled over for speeding near a school.
What changed
First versionA police officer pulled over me because my rear light wasn't working.
RevisionA police officer pulled me over because my rear light wasn't working.
When the object is a pronoun, it goes between the verb and the particle: pulled me over, pull it over. With a noun, both orders are possible: pulled over the car and pulled the car over. A native speaker wouldn't say pulled over me.
Pull up means to drive to a particular place and stop there: A taxi pulled up outside the hotel. Pull over means to leave your lane and stop at the side of the road, often because you have to or because the police tell you to. And don't confuse the verb with the noun pullover, a jumper: it's written as one word.
Your turn
The engine started making a strange noise on the motorway, so I ___ onto the hard shoulder and called for help.
Show the answer
pulled over — The engine is making a strange noise, you're on the motorway and you need to get onto the hard shoulder: pulled over. Pulled away means 'started moving, drove off', but you were already moving and wanted to stop.
Describe a trip when the driver had to stop at the side of the road. Say why and how long the stop lasted.
On the way to Kazan, my dad pulled over because my little brother felt sick, and we stood by the road for about ten minutes.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.