pull back

verbs

pull back or move away or backward

"The enemy withdrew"; "The limo pulled away from the curb"

draw back, move back, pull away, pull back, recede, retire, retreat, withdraw

is derived from

use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)

draw back, pull back, retract

move to a rearward position; pull towards the back

"Pull back your arms!"

pull back

verb group

stretch back a bowstring (on an archer's bow)

"The archers were drawing their bows"

is a type of (narrower)

cause to move by pulling

"draw a wagon"; "pull a sled"

stretch back a bowstring (on an archer's bow)

"The archers were drawing their bows"

draw, pull back

make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity

"We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him"; "He backed out of his earlier promise"; "The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns"