1.
to pull out; to extract
to remove something by pulling it out, such as a plant, cork, or tooth
雑草を引き抜いた。
I pulled out the weeds.
刀を鞘から引き抜いた。
He drew the sword from its sheath.
虫歯を引き抜いてもらった。
I had my decayed tooth pulled out.
2.
to headhunt; to poach
to recruit talented individuals away from another company or organization
優秀なエンジニアを競合他社から引き抜いた。
We headhunted an excellent engineer from a competitor.
彼は大手企業に引き抜かれた。
He was headhunted by a major company.
ヘッドハンターに引き抜きの話を持ちかけられた。
A headhunter approached me with an offer to switch companies.
FORMATION:
引く (to pull) + 抜く (to extract) → to pull and extract
TRANSITIVITY:
Transitive verb - takes を to mark the object being pulled out.
BUSINESS USAGE (Sense 2):
In business contexts, 引き抜き is a noun meaning "headhunting" or "poaching (of talent)." The practice is common in industries with talent shortages.
RELATED WORDS:
- 抜く (to pull out - simpler form)
- 引っこ抜く (to yank out - more forceful)
- ヘッドハンティング (headhunting - loanword)