yank

\ ˈyaŋk

How to pronounce yank (audio)

\

yanked; yanking; yanks

Definition of yank

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to pull on something with a quick vigorous movement

transitive verb

1 : to pull or extract with a quick vigorous movement

2 : to remove in or as if in an abrupt manner yanked the story from the evening edition

yank

Definition of yank (Entry 2 of 3)

: a strong sudden pull : jerk

Yank

\ ˈyaŋk

How to pronounce Yank (audio)

\

Definition of Yank (Entry 3 of 3)

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about yank

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Examples of yank in a Sentence

Verb He yanked the door shut. She yanked on the dog's leash. Noun (1) had to give the shoe a good yank to get it off

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb In the meantime, major pharmacy chains have jumped ahead and yanked both brand-name and generic versions of Zantac off their shelves. — Carolyn Y. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "A tiny pharmacy raises big doubts about our drugs," 8 Nov. 2019 Travelers fought back, yanking one protester off the top of the train in images that went viral on social media. — Linda Givetash, NBC News, "Extinction Rebellion's activists leverage disruption, arrests for climate action," 5 Nov. 2019 In 2007, a woman called troopers to report that Pitka, then her boyfriend, had spit in her face and yanked her hair at the city office. — Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, "After the Last Cop Killed Himself, All the Criminals Have to Do Is Hide," 24 Oct. 2019 In 2007, a woman called troopers to report that Pitka, then her boyfriend, had spit in her face and yanked her hair at the city office. — Anchorage Daily News, "The last police officer," 24 Oct. 2019 Pearl Studio, which is releasing the movie in China, declined to comment on Vietnam’s yanking of the film. — Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, "‘Abominable’ pulled from Vietnamese cinemas because of a map of China," 14 Oct. 2019 Jones jerked awake, yanked the now-useless power cord out of the machine and plugged in a portable battery to get the air flowing through his hose again. — Kevin Fagan, SFChronicle.com, "Powerless: How PG&E put the burden of stopping fires on the shoulders of millions," 12 Oct. 2019 To quickly recap: WeWork in the past two weeks (!) pushed out CEO Adam Neumann, yanked its IPO, put Neumann’s jet up for sale, put its side businesses up for sale, and plans to lay off hundreds to thousands of workers. — Alison Griswold, Quartz, "WeWork could run out of cash by next month," 11 Oct. 2019 But probably not as frequently as mowing and yanking weeds out of your flower beds. — Lew Sichelman | Andrews Mcmeel Syndication, courant.com, "The Housing Scene: The holidays are actually a good time to buy or sell," 4 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Helping two other men who needed a third helper, an extra yank. — Lisa Respers France, CNN, "'Billions' actress Melissa Errico helped save a man in the subway," 30 Aug. 2019 With one yank another young woman had undone the bow. — Laura Jacobs, WSJ, "An Exhibition to Tickle You ‘Pink’," 11 Sep. 2018 On the single gravel turn used at the Phoenix test track, a quick yank on the handbrake is all that’s needed to make the car turn-in. — Josh Jacquot, Car and Driver, "Behind the Wheel of Subaru's WRX STI Global Rallycross Car," 20 Oct. 2017 Sweed gave him a little yank, not even hard, on the jersey. — Zach Helfand, latimes.com, "USC-Texas revisited: LenDale White and what happened after fourth-and-two," 13 Sep. 2017 The pony-tail yank was captured by the jail’s security cameras. — Gwen Filosa, miamiherald, "Inmate attacks inmate over their breakup, cops say," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'yank.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

24 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Yank.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yank. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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More Definitions for yank

yank

verb

English Language Learners Definition of yank

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to suddenly pull (something) in a quick, forceful way

: to quickly or suddenly remove (something or someone)

yank

noun

English Language Learners Definition of yank (Entry 2 of 3)

: a strong, quick pull

Yank

noun

English Language Learners Definition of Yank (Entry 3 of 3)

informal : a person from the U.S.

See the full definition for Yank in the English Language Learners Dictionary

yank

\ ˈyaŋk

\

Kids Definition of yank

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a strong sudden pull : jerk

yank

yanked; yanking

Kids Definition of yank (Entry 2 of 2)

: to pull suddenly or forcefully I go over and yank his arm and make him sit down.— Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Shiloh

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to accept, comply, or submit

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