yank

verb

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\ ˈyaŋk

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

noun (1)

Definition of yank (Entry 2 of 3)

: a strong sudden pull : jerk

Yank

noun (2)

\ ˈyaŋk

Definition of Yank (Entry 3 of 3)

: yankee

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about yank

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Synonyms & Antonyms for yank

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun (1)

Antonyms: Noun (1)

push

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 Lee recently put forward a proposal to yank money being allocated for the Chatsworth project under Proposition HHH, a $1.2-billion bond measure approved by voters. — Emily Alpert Reyes Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "L.A. councilman takes aim at money for Valley homeless housing project," 27 Apr. 2021 The end of the audio cable is shaped in a right angle, which prevents the headphone cord from breaking if kids yank it out of the headphone jack. — Zoe Malin, NBC News, "New and Notable: Face masks, speakers, dog toys and more," 29 Mar. 2021 Violent chatter prompted Apple and Google to yank Parler from their app stores. — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, "'Huge win for free speech,' Parler may soon return to iPhones, Apple App Store," 20 Apr. 2021 At one point, a U.S. drone took high-resolution photos of a Nigerian military base, and an official bringing the latest stack of photos to the Nigerian government forgot to yank the printouts from the pile until the last minute. — Joe Parkinson, The Atlantic, "When America Couldn’t Bring Back Our Girls," 3 Apr. 2021 List threatened to yank their businesses from the state unless Pence changed his mind. — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "How Kristi Noem's transgender sports veto tapped into the 'spirit of Mike Pence'," 24 Mar. 2021 But for those who had managed to create some retirement savings, the pandemic of the past year has forced them to yank money from those nest eggs. — USA Today, "In the year of COVID-19, who has really benefited from the stock market boom?," 15 Mar. 2021 When migrants near shore, troopers yank at their inflatable rafts, puncturing some and setting them aside like trophies. — Anchorage Daily News, "The things migrants carried — and dropped — as they crossed the border," 11 Apr. 2021 Ivey’s order on Friday led the city of Mobile to yank the permit for the St. Patrick’s Day block party that Callaghan’s had planned for the next day, Saturday, March 14. — al, "Mobile institution Callaghan’s closing for St. Patrick’s Day this year," 19 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The son figured out that by stretching PTFE with a sudden yank, the polymer expanded by 1,000 percent. — The Salt Lake Tribune, "Robert W. Gore, the inventor of Gore-Tex fabric and Utah native, dead at 83," 19 Sep. 2020 Without a word, the woman stood up and, giving a little yank at the seat of her bikini, strode off without a backward glance. — Haruki Murakami, The New Yorker, "The Kingdom That Failed," 13 Aug. 2020 But the company largely resisted the Internet, quick to police its copyrights and yank unauthorized versions of show footage from the web. — Brian Mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Ed Sullivan videos finally hit the web — led by Motown's Jackson 5, Supremes, Tempts," 12 June 2020 Her folding Ollie chair flattens with the yank of a cord, and a satisfying clack! — Jane Margolies, New York Times, "At the Brooklyn Navy Yard It’s Full Steam Ahead," 12 Mar. 2020 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

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.