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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of yank
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
Andy Clayton,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
But the suspicion the US wasn’t really a football nation was compounded at the opening ceremony, after Diana Ross danced the length of the pitch to take a penalty kick and yanked the ball far left of the goal, which was unfortunately rigged to split apart to simulate a wonder-strike.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
The announced attendance was a capacity 80,663, which is a little under 2,000 less than full capacity for the Giants and Jets as seats had to be yanked out down low to fit the regulation soccer field into MetLife Stadium.
—
Andy Clayton,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
But the suspicion the US wasn’t really a football nation was compounded at the opening ceremony, after Diana Ross danced the length of the pitch to take a penalty kick and yanked the ball far left of the goal, which was unfortunately rigged to split apart to simulate a wonder-strike.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for yank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank
Noun
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That sense of modernity has sometimes felt absent from the movies’ sweetly old-fashioned world, which features pull-string cowboy dolls and a shiny spaceman action figure.
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The wind projects to blow out to right field tonight, enhancing Muncy’s pull-side power potential.
Verb
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Don’t twist or jerk the tick, which can cause the mouth to break off in your skin.
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Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.
Verb
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Prime Day 2026 Editor Picks One way to weed through the pages and pages of deals is going straight to the Vogue editor picks section, to see what the team has hand-plucked across all categories.
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This gorgeous, minimalist rug from Nuloom looks like it was plucked straight from a five-star resort with its striking border and jute-like texture.
Verb
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There is an art to cutting a cantaloupe, which starts long before grabbing the knife and cutting board.
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Schmidt can be forgiven for making this headline-grabbing prediction.
Noun
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If all goes well, Katalyst's space tug (it's called Link) will lift the Swift observatory into a higher, safer orbit — one that will add years of life to the aging space telescope's mission.
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The clash between the two dynamics — one extolling beauty, the other detailing gruesome crimes — makes for an oil-vinegar mix that speaks to the tug of war women experience between using the beauty versus their brains.
Verb
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There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match.
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Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid.
Verb
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The ability to extract consumer insights, test prototypes, and craft compelling product narratives must be embedded across teams, according to Kemkers.
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The agreement appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
Verb
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Pride flags are once again blowing in the breeze on Kings Highway in Haddonfield, New Jersey, less than 48 hours after police say a man ripped most of them down in the middle of the borough's busy business district.
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Sequined trousers resembled jeans, while ripped denim was finished with fine silver chains.
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yank. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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