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
Lindor, who has been the subject of criticism for his play thus far, yanked a shot into the seats, scoring Marcus Semien and Carson Benge — one of the few positives from this night.
—
James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
As the smell intensified, Lina crossed to the front door of her apartment, undid the lock, and yanked the sticky door open.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Hers is a life devoted to art despite the fact she was yanked from school and married off at sixteen.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Burrows fell behind 3-0 to ninth hitter Victor Scott II, clawed back to 3-2, but yanked a fastball well inside.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
Each would step up on the box, say a word or two, and then get yanked off by the police and carried to jail.
—Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 15 Apr. 2026
The latest season of The Bachelorette may or may not be coming to a screen near you one day, but Taylor Frankie Paul isn’t heading to court over two domestic violence claims that saw the ABC reality show yanked from the schedule last month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
However, Swalwell’s campaign quickly collapsed as staff members resigned and allies from organized labor to congressional Democrats yanked their support.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Filial duty yanked him right back to Passyunk Avenue, flipping Australian rib-eye alongside a patriarch who rested only on Sunday afternoons.
—Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
As the smell intensified, Lina crossed to the front door of her apartment, undid the lock, and yanked the sticky door open.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Hers is a life devoted to art despite the fact she was yanked from school and married off at sixteen.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Burrows fell behind 3-0 to ninth hitter Victor Scott II, clawed back to 3-2, but yanked a fastball well inside.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
Each would step up on the box, say a word or two, and then get yanked off by the police and carried to jail.
—Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 15 Apr. 2026
The latest season of The Bachelorette may or may not be coming to a screen near you one day, but Taylor Frankie Paul isn’t heading to court over two domestic violence claims that saw the ABC reality show yanked from the schedule last month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
However, Swalwell’s campaign quickly collapsed as staff members resigned and allies from organized labor to congressional Democrats yanked their support.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Filial duty yanked him right back to Passyunk Avenue, flipping Australian rib-eye alongside a patriarch who rested only on Sunday afternoons.
—Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
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The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
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We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hoopes turned a corner and the cop, lights flashing, pulled him over.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Finally, this past New Year’s Eve, their full-length debut surfaced as an unfussy YouTube post—only to get pulled one week later as Bottner sought label distribution.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stephens and her daughter had gone to bed when Knight grabbed knives from the kitchen, walked into their bedroom and attacked the woman as her daughter lay next to her.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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The witness said a woman believed to be a store employee grabbed at a backpack carried by one of the men, prompting that man to throw a punch at her.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Don’t gag, don’t cry — and my stomach lurched.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
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Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The burglars pried open a window to get into a room on the second floor.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
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Kemp says everything was ransacked, doors were broken, drawers and cupboards pried open, and empty cash boxes were on display.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The rooms Accommodations are ripped straight out of the safari playbook.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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Suns star Devin Booker, typically a measured player, ripped the referees after the loss, targeting official James Williams.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
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Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Heat is extracted and pumped into a closed-loop pipe system under the house, where it is cooled by the earth.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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She was pronounced dead after Orange County Fire Authority firefighters extracted her from the vehicle and rushed her to a nearby hospital.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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