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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of yanked
Some even report being pinched and yanked at while in the room, staff say the pincher is the ghost of a homeless little girl who occupied the vacant prison during the Great Depression.
—
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Annoyed Detroit ticketholders reacted Wednesday on YoungBoy fan sites after the LCA show was yanked from the tour schedule.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Previously, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell yanked their music off the service to protest Joe Rogan’s podcast at the height of the pandemic for supposedly spreading misinformation about the Covid vaccine.
—Roy Trakin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Imelda took a sharp right turn as Humberto yanked the storm eastward away from the shoreline early Tuesday.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
In this case, the PGA of America yanked it off without knowing what was underneath.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
We too were yanked out of our comfortable lives and thrust into another reality.
—Sarah Mlynowski, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
An engineer recently wrapped a chain around a humanoid robot’s neck and violently yanked it.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Kimmel was yanked off the air following remarks about Kirk’s assassination and the motives behind it.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Annoyed Detroit ticketholders reacted Wednesday on YoungBoy fan sites after the LCA show was yanked from the tour schedule.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Previously, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell yanked their music off the service to protest Joe Rogan’s podcast at the height of the pandemic for supposedly spreading misinformation about the Covid vaccine.
—Roy Trakin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Imelda took a sharp right turn as Humberto yanked the storm eastward away from the shoreline early Tuesday.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
In this case, the PGA of America yanked it off without knowing what was underneath.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
We too were yanked out of our comfortable lives and thrust into another reality.
—Sarah Mlynowski, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
An engineer recently wrapped a chain around a humanoid robot’s neck and violently yanked it.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Kimmel was yanked off the air following remarks about Kirk’s assassination and the motives behind it.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
-
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The number of people using the FAIR plan for fire insurance has increased dramatically in recent years as companies have pulled back business in the state due to losses caused by major wildfires arising from risks due to climate change and other factors.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
On their first possession, Mahomes stood in the pocket with the Chiefs in the red zone, spotted receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster open down the middle and pulled the trigger on a third-down pass.—
Sam McDowell
October 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The incident occurred near 87th Avenue and Van Buren Street when a man grabbed a girl by the arm.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Riddle then grabbed Quirke by the collar and threw him down onto a table before walking off the set with a TMZ championship belt.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hollywood lurched into a fresh wave of existential panic this week after Deadline, notating an otherwise dry industry panel on Saturday, September 27, seized on a stray remark.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The escalator lurched to a halt just after the pair got on.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The complaint alleges that Moseley interfered with her players’ mental health treatment, pried into players’ personal and romantic lives and threatened players about scholarships and playing time.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
-
The linchpin isn't just at risk; it's being actively pried loose.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In the fourth quarter, Seguin’s defense forced another turnover when Micah Bolden ripped the ball away from a Wolves player and returned it to midfield.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Its approach to comedy is ripped straight from the world of musical cast parties and improv shows, with every performer doing their best to turn every line into a GIF-able burst of wholesome self-deprecation.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her hand twitched from the heat.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
-
My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the sale of hemp and cannabinoids extracted from it, like THCA, delta-8, HHC, THCV and CBD.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Japanese sweet potatoes contain more calcium than regular potatoes and include a compound called caiapo, which is extracted and used to treat type 2 diabetes.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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