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THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE

Pull yourself together

Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.

01 / UNDERSTAND

Meaning in plain English

Regain control of your emotions or actions after being upset.

02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT

The expression in a sentence

  1. I took a quiet minute to pull myself together before returning to the room.

03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Quick idiom quiz

Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.

Can you recall the expression?

Which expression from this lesson matches this meaning?

Regain control of your emotions or actions after being upset.
Show the answer

Pull yourself together — Regain control of your emotions or actions after being upset.

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Make it yours

Write one sentence using “Pull yourself together” about your own life.

Check your sentence

Does your sentence match this meaning?

Regain control of your emotions or actions after being upset.

Compare: I took a quiet minute to pull myself together before returning to the room.

Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.

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More ways to understand and use it

When to use it

Use this expression when describing your own effort to become calm again. As a command to someone else, it may sound impatient or dismissive of their feelings.

More examples in context

  • She pulled herself together and explained what had happened.
  • After the disappointing result, we needed time to pull ourselves together.

Usage note

Match the reflexive pronoun to the subject: “myself”, “herself” or “ourselves”. “Pull together” without a reflexive pronoun can mean cooperate, which is a different use.

A short conversation

A: Would you like a moment before we continue?
B: Yes, please. I need to pull myself together.
A: Take your time. There is no rush.

One more practice question

What is someone trying to do when they pull themselves together after becoming upset?

A. Regain calm and self-control.
B. Make themselves more distressed on purpose.

Check your answer

A. The expression describes recovering control after strong emotion.

Related lessons

Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.

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