YANK Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

yank 1 of 2

noun

Definition of yank

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

yank

2 of 2

verb

ˈyaŋk

as in to jerk

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to pull

to draw out by force or with effort yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattach

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

As the man was unconscious, Slawson was accused of yanking the suspect out of the police vehicle, causing the man to hit and split his head on the concrete, the press release stated. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026 In his view, a prosperous society was teetering on the edge of a meaningful shift toward communitarianism before being yanked back. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for yank

Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank

Noun

Giving Ploughman a life Garfield felt the pull of his role at once.

— JP Mangalindan, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
If only the church bells would stop ringing even though their pull chains have been locked away for years.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of pull

Verb

And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
The production’s winking tone blunts some of the original’s tear-jerking climax, yet its intact happy ending offers a surprisingly comforting vision of survival in an age of constant crises.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerk

Verb

That’s what life is like for NFL players who were plucked off the waiver wire last week, or those who have signed with a new team last week after not making their old team’s initial 53-man roster.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
Last January Nessie O’Neil, a graduate student in biology at Miami University in Ohio, watched as a young pygmy raccoon plucked a receipt from the paper trash.

— Isabel Gil, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of pluck

Verb

Emmys nights one and two saw Widow’s Bay pick up a whopping eight trophies, one short of The Studio’s total of nine last year, and this evening might end with Widow’s Bay grabbing a lot of the same awards The Studio did last year.

— Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Researchers have long recognized that humor can grab attention, deepen social connection, and build attraction.

— Norbert Schwarz, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of grab

Verb

The 5-11, 210-pounder is a sudden cutter who runs with power and twitch, attacking space like a great punt returner.

— Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
The muscles in Lola Petticrew’s face twitch ever so slightly, indicating Catherine’s excitement that the police are now in possession of this picture.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

Institute of Process Engineering (CAS), alongside Ganfeng Lithium, has launched the world’s first 500-tonne annual capacity production line in Jiangxi province to extract rubidium and cesium from lithium mining waste.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
True economic success in 2026 isn’t about extracting the last dollar from a negative-margin middle class.

— Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of extract

Verb

Among the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals, an MK-84 explosion sends metal fragments in every direction for thousands of feet, can rip through metal and thick concrete, and often creates large craters in the earth.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Bartlett was virtually unmarked and ripped a low shot into the far corner with Lloris frozen in net.

— Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of rip

Browse Nearby Words

yammers

yank

yanked

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Style

“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yank. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of yank

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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