pull your weight

Meaning

To do your fair share of work, effort, or duty in a joint effort or group project. If someone is not pulling their weight, they are letting others do most of the work. It is often used in situations involving teamwork, household chores, or group responsibilities.

Examples

• If you don't start pulling your weight, the team is going to fail.

  If you don't start pulling your weight, the team is going to fail.

• We all have to pull our weight if we want to finish cleaning the house today.

  We all have to pull our weight if we want to finish cleaning the house today.

• She felt that her group partners weren't pulling their weight on the project.

  She felt that her group partners weren't pulling their weight on the project.

• The manager warned him that he needs to pull his weight around the office.

  The manager warned him that he needs to pull his weight around the office.

• In a small startup, everyone has to pull their weight to survive.

  In a small startup, everyone has to pull their weight to survive.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He doesn't push his weight.

  ✓ He doesn't pull his weight.

  The verb in this idiom is always 'pull', not 'push'.

• ✗ We must pull the weight.

  ✓ We must pull our weight.

  You must use a possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, our, their) that matches the subject of the sentence.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I'm tired of doing all the chores; you need to start ___.

  💡 Doing your fair share of the work.

  Show answer

  pulling your weight

• If everyone on the team ___ , we can launch on time.

  💡 Does their share of the effort (singular/plural agreement).

  Show answer

  pulls their weight