yanked; yanking; yanks
: to pull on something with a quick vigorous movement
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
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
Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Still, the crisis was remarkable in that, despite the 1-billion-plus barrels yanked from the market since February, US and European benchmark crude prices didn’t top the spike following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
Kirk Bowman, The Conversation, 9 June 2026
Connie Lansdown, the hysterectomy patient, watches the storm yank a man from a reclining chair and drag him down the hall.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
Chris Ciolli, AFAR Media, 15 July 2025
Running on a level surface (in supportive shoes—see above!) can serve as plenty a cardio workout without the extra yank on your plantar fascia.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for yank
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Verb
With two outs and a runner on, Sasaki yanked a splitter to the inside edge of the strike zone to Gunnar Henderson, who lifted it over the wall in right field.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Still, the crisis was remarkable in that, despite the 1-billion-plus barrels yanked from the market since February, US and European benchmark crude prices didn’t top the spike following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
Noun
The yanks are coming, the yanks are coming!
—Kirk Bowman, The Conversation, 9 June 2026
Connie Lansdown, the hysterectomy patient, watches the storm yank a man from a reclining chair and drag him down the hall.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
Noun
Visitors to China will want to lighten their grip, while folks introducing themselves to Germans should know to stop after one firm downward yank.
—Chris Ciolli, AFAR Media, 15 July 2025
Running on a level surface (in supportive shoes—see above!) can serve as plenty a cardio workout without the extra yank on your plantar fascia.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for yank
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yank. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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