1
as in jerked
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in pulled
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 grabbed
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of yanked
Texas coach Vic Schaefer has also yanked post players Justice Carlton and Ashton Judd after on-court errors in the first half, and the Longhorns entered this timeout with four guards and Oldacre on the court.
—
Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Our third molars, also known as our wisdom teeth, either don’t develop, don’t erupt, or need to be yanked out.
—Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026
Alcaraz yanked a hard inside-in forehand that ticked the top of the net, before stopping almost dead and bouncing twice on Djokovic’s side.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Thom yanked on his jeans, gave me one last sharp look and slammed the door.
—Nick Dothée, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Which neighborhood is being circled by ICE, which neighbor is being yanked from their house and needs observers documenting ASAP!
—Angela Pelster, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
On game night, Lavrenov was the one who threw elbows, threw down dunks and yanked down rebounds and threw outlet passes to start the fast break.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Eventually, she is yanked from the car while still tangled in her seat belt.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Our third molars, also known as our wisdom teeth, either don’t develop, don’t erupt, or need to be yanked out.
—Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026
Alcaraz yanked a hard inside-in forehand that ticked the top of the net, before stopping almost dead and bouncing twice on Djokovic’s side.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Thom yanked on his jeans, gave me one last sharp look and slammed the door.
—Nick Dothée, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Which neighborhood is being circled by ICE, which neighbor is being yanked from their house and needs observers documenting ASAP!
—Angela Pelster, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
On game night, Lavrenov was the one who threw elbows, threw down dunks and yanked down rebounds and threw outlet passes to start the fast break.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Eventually, she is yanked from the car while still tangled in her seat belt.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The officers did not draw their guns until Chakraborty pulled the knife, NYPD officials said.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Hundreds of thousands canceled their subscriptions after Bezos pulled a Kamala Harris endorsement from the opinion section in 2024, according to CJR.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Doncic turned to run back up the court and grabbed the back of his left leg.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The big polar bear lurched forward, hitting top speed in two strides.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
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As Matt Woosnam reflected recently, the Premier League’s feel-good story has lurched into night terrors.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Edge rushers Trey White and Ryan Henderson, linebacker Owen Chambliss and safety Dwayne McDougle were pried away by Power Four programs, but SDSU coach Sean Lewis was pleased that the Aztecs were able to hold onto much of the talent while adding to it through the NCAA transfer portal.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The officers and two bystanders pried open the truck’s door and pulled the driver to safety, the agency said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The explosion, which ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers, was caused by a suicide bomber, police told CNN.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Four people are dead after a fire ripped through a DeKalb County home late Wednesday, officials said.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors Vassar and Hogan also introduced to the jury evidence of location data police extracted from his cellphone and suggested there was an absence of location data at the time of the killings because the defendant had placed his phone in airplane mode.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 6,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
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At some point, those fuel sources will be exhausted, no further energy will be naturally extracted from what remains within them, and those once-brilliant objects will fade away into darkness.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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