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Pull in

Simo Ita

Senior Member
Italian
Hi everyone,

Does the meaning of this phrasal verb change on the basis of what it is related to (car / train)?

- the car pulled in (the car stopped)
- the train pulled in (the train arrived and stopped / it arrived / it stopped?)

Thanks in advance.
The train pulled in to the station. The car pulled in to the side of the road/ the garage. We often drop the location and simply say "pulled in", but it is understood that a train only pulls into a station whereas a car can pull into a variety of places. The verb means the same thing though.
Iโ€™d say that it does, in the sense that a train runs on a track and so simply draws to a halt, whereas in a car you pull in to the side of the road to stop/park.


cross-posted
So can we say that a train which pulls in is a train that both arrives and stops at a station?

It can't mean that the train just comes to a station WITHOUT stopping, can it?

Thanks.
....nor can it be used if a train merely comes to a stop somewhere along the tracks.

You always pull in (to) In the case of a train, it means arrive a station, e.g. "I got to Platform 5 just as the Oxford train was pulling in".
....nor can it be used if a train merely comes to a stop somewhere along the tracks.

You always pull in (to) In the case of a train, it means arrive a station, e.g. "I got to Platform 5 just as the Oxford train was pulling in".

Thanks a lot, very helpful!
By the way, in the meaning of parking, is pull in followed by to or at? In your examples to is always expressed but on the web at is much commoner.

Let me pull in to / at a gas station and then I'll call you back.
We pulled in to / at the side of the road.

Thanks in advance.
Thereโ€™s not a lot of difference, but Iโ€™d probably use them this way:

pull in to a gas station = physically drive the car into that forecourt
pull in at a gas station = stop to refuel when you get to the next gas/petrol station
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