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

McCullough has left himself open to criticism by yanking several starting pitchers early in games, citing data that starters aren’t as effective when facing a batting order for a third time. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026 The catch is that the number of neutrons in the universe plummeted during the game, like chairs being yanked out of line. — Cara Giovanetti, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for yank

Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank

Noun

Somewhere between a jegging and a jean exist these Liverpool Los Angeles pants, which have a comfy elastic, pull-on waist in lieu of a zipper and button closure.

— Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Sep. 2026
The collection explores the disorienting pull of a space that makes its visitors lose their sense of self.

— Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of pull

Verb

At their most basic, these may consist of just two elements, such as a stone and a sheet of raw steel—that is, an element plucked from the natural world and one of industrial manufacture.

— Barry Schwabsky, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Rice and Schlittler were both raised among Red Sox fans in Massachusetts and went to college in New England before getting plucked by the Yankees out of Boston’s backyard in baseball’s amateur draft.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of pluck

Verb

Over the course of Next Gen NYC’s season, which ended this past week, the model Ava Dash grabs a slice of pizza on Fulton Street; strolls through the Seaport; and calls her father, the hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, from a bench at Pier 17.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 29 Sep. 2026
Stop in today to bid farewell and grab one last fresh burger, hand cut fries and premium ice cream sundae.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of grab

Noun

Electric tugs docked alongside an LNG carrier being loaded at the LNG Canada docks in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, on Monday, July 14, 2025.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
There's Teddy, of course, who may be warming up to visitors one kiss — and possibly one hair tug — at a time.

— Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of tug

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
When a sensor detected the left or right forelimb moving, the hub sent a limb-specific pulse through the body that reached an implant on the corresponding hind leg, which stimulated the sciatic nerve and made that leg twitch.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

Heat is transferred from surrounding rock into the system rather than extracting hot groundwater from underground formations.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
Donica said the gypstacks contain rare earth minerals that could be extracted one day with the proper technology, a proposal that university researchers in the state are actively working on.

— Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of extract

Verb

Why small home upgrades matter now Big-ticket home projects have gotten expensive, and most people cannot rip out a bathroom or rewire a living room just to make Wednesday feel a little better.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
To his right, Morello’s teenage son Roman, who ripped out a solo with his electric guitar behind his back, the instrument daubed with a call to action for homeless rights.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 30 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of yank

noun

verb

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