yank 1 of 2

noun

Definition of yanknext
as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force had to give the shoe a good yank to get it off

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

yank

2 of 2

verb

ˈyaŋk How to pronounce yank (audio)
1
as in to jerk
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving

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2
as in to pull
to draw out by force or with effort yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to grab
to separate or remove by forceful pulling grab the other one, and let's see if we can't yank these two grocery carriages apart

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of yank
Noun
Soy sauce, Maggi seasoning, daikon and shiitake mushroom yank pot roast into new territory. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026 Effectively, this turned the workspace into a yank buffer along with all your documents, and undoing any destructive editing operation thus became merely another cut and paste. — Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Three consecutive mayors had called for an end to the carriage rides because of safety concerns, only to have lawmakers yank back the reins. — Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 The force of my fall on the rope yanked her upward and slammed her against the rock. — Daniel Duane, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for yank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank
  1. pull
  2. jerk
  3. pluck
  4. grab
  5. tug
  6. twitch
  7. extract
  8. rip
Noun
  • The pull Of Silicon Valley How much income tax revenue California could lose depends not just on what billionaires currently pay, but also on how many leave if Prop 40 passes.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In the past four games, all victories, the 5-foot-2 McGinley leads the team with 18 flag pulls and has six passes defended and an interception.
    — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of pull
Verb
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Drivers should never swerve or jerk the steering wheel, the state patrol said.
    — Celia Frazier, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of jerk
Verb
  • The Royals plucked manager Matt Quatraro from the Rays organization in 2022.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Orioles plucked Jared Banner from the Cubs to be their new general manager under Mike Elias.
    — Josh Tolentino, Baltimore Sun, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • In a separate incident Sunday, Basabe flagged down police to report that a parking garage employee grabbed and threw his phone to the ground, the report shows.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Testing spoons stored in a manner where lip contact surface contamination could happen when employee grabs the spoon from container.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of grab
Noun
  • Saucy and sticky, the tender ribs tug impeccably off the bone.
    — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The sci-fi horror film follows the seven-member crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo who, upon returning to Earth, intercept a strange transmission from a nearby moon.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of tug
Verb
  • Just then, Chee Meng’s fishing rod twitched, and the line began to run out.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of twitch
Verb
  • This process initially extracts boron into a solution, which can then be concentrated for use in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In a divided Congress, the party that doesn’t control the White House typically uses moments including government funding and debt-ceiling hikes to extract concessions from the majority party, a practice that can lead to brinksmanship.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of extract
Verb
  • Old walls that once separated the exam rooms have been ripped down, leaving a large open space.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee Updated November 2, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But this audience was too savvy to be faked out, and their silence was upheld during that most delicate of passages — which, combined with the lack of the visual intrusion of an 18,000-strong filming crew, made for some heart-ripping magic.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rip

Browse Nearby Words

yammers
yank
yanked
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Cite this Entry

“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yank. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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