To regain control of one's emotions and behaviour after being upset, distressed, or scattered.
To stop being upset and start behaving normally again.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To regain control of your emotions and behaviour, especially after something upsetting.
"She took a few deep breaths and told herself to pull together before walking back into the room."
Pull yourself together.
— Commonly attributed to Basil Fawlty, Fawlty Towers (BBC TV series, 1975–1979)
To force oneself to act calmly and competently in a difficult or high-pressure situation.
"He had to pull himself together before the job interview, even though he'd received bad news that morning."
To gather one's scattered pieces back into a unified whole — metaphor for restoring emotional order.
To stop being upset and start behaving normally again.
Always reflexive — used with oneself, myself, yourself, himself, etc. Can be said to oneself as self-encouragement or said to others, sometimes harshly. Common in both British and American English.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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