Synonyms of yank

yank 1 of 2

noun

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

• pull
• tug
• jerk
• wrench
• haul
• draw
• pluck
• grab
• tow
• drag
• hitch
• snatch
• twitch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• push
• thrust
• shove
• heave

yank

2 of 2

verb

ˈyaŋk 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jerk
• pull
• twitch
• grab
• lurch
• tug
• shake
• buck
• jolt
• hitch
• hoick
• bump
• tear
• rip
• snatch
• drag
• pluck
• stagger
• jog
• jiggle
• lug
• jig
• joggle
• jounce
• tweak
• snap (up)
• wrench
• wring
• wrest
• pitch

2

as in to pull

to draw out by force or with effort

yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pull
• pry
• pluck
• extract
• remove
• uproot
• tear (out)
• prize
• take (out)
• wring
• wrest
• root (out)
• withdraw
• corkscrew
• mine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• insert
• install
• instill
• implant
• stuff
• ram
• jam
• cram
• wedge

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grab
• rip
• tear
• pull
• snatch
• wrench
• wrest
• pry
• seize
• cut (off)
• extract
• snap (up)
• sever
• force
• amputate
• nab
• uproot
• jerk
• nip
• prize
• lop (off)
• dissever
• root (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattach

Example Sentences

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

In recent months, numerous automakers have yanked EVs from the market, delayed new arrivals, and canceled their plans to debut new EVs. — Tim Levin, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Normally, a pitcher with that pitch count who had given up just one run and two hits would not get yanked so quickly, but the Angels clearly had seen red flags during the previous inning. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 July 2026