1. To drag, tug, or yank someone or something underneath something or some surface. I pulled her under the table so we could hide from the burglars. She pulled the bicycle under the tree so she could repair it in the shade. The swimmer was pulled under the water by the strong current.

2. To cause or instigate the failure of someone or something. They were forced to extend their product's warranty to three full years for every customer who bought one, a move that reportedly cost the company nearly $1 billion and very nearly pulled it under. Hundreds of companies, big and small, were pulled under during the economic recession.