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
Officer Alex Millan then yanked open the passenger door of the suspects’ car; at the same time, the car drove forward over the curb.
—
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Furious too that anyone could think the defender had deliberately yanked the striker’s hair.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
When Godinez and Napoles responded that they were not being detained, the agent reached through the car’s driver-side window and tried to grab Napoles’ cellphone, then grabbed him by his hoodie and yanked him.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 Jan. 2026
Vecna tracks her down and somehow pulls her back from her free fall towards the Hawkins Lab, where Jonathan and Nancy see her briefly before she’s yanked back into the sky.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
In May, most of those grants were summarily yanked by the disapproving federal government.
—Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
Josh Norris and Jason Zucker had two assists each, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was yanked after two periods, having surrendered five goals on 22 shots.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Several of plaintiffs were yanked from supervisory roles at the FBI.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025
Amazon has configured its data centers so that old Trainium2 chips can be yanked out and replaced with new Trainium3 chips without other major changes.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Furious too that anyone could think the defender had deliberately yanked the striker’s hair.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
When Godinez and Napoles responded that they were not being detained, the agent reached through the car’s driver-side window and tried to grab Napoles’ cellphone, then grabbed him by his hoodie and yanked him.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 Jan. 2026
Vecna tracks her down and somehow pulls her back from her free fall towards the Hawkins Lab, where Jonathan and Nancy see her briefly before she’s yanked back into the sky.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2025
In May, most of those grants were summarily yanked by the disapproving federal government.
—Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
Josh Norris and Jason Zucker had two assists each, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was yanked after two periods, having surrendered five goals on 22 shots.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Several of plaintiffs were yanked from supervisory roles at the FBI.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025
Amazon has configured its data centers so that old Trainium2 chips can be yanked out and replaced with new Trainium3 chips without other major changes.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 3 Dec. 2025
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
-
Chicago pulled within 21-16 on D'Andre Swift's 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The slightly oversized cut offers comfort for long travel days, while looking pulled-together.—
Gabrielle Porcaro,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Javonte Green missed a potential tying 3-point try and Paul Reed grabbed the rebound, but committed Detroit's 25th turnover.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Carolyn Collins scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Mya Korpal had 15 points as Winchester came back to defeat Reading 54-53 in Middlesex League play.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The relentless Chacon lurched outside after her just as his car door opened and out popped their 6-year-old son, begging his dad to stop.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
New year optimism was certainly in short supply inside Anfield as the mood lurched from restlessness to exasperation and then anger.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
And almost every president has understood, in one way or another, that America cannot be pried apart from its ideals and remain America.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One person was taken into custody after a fire ripped through a synagogue in Mississippi, heavily damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson.—
Charlotte Kramon,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
-
This gripping page-turner — featuring a decades-old murder, a writer in town to tell the real story and an oncoming tempest — feels like it was ripped from the juiciest headlines.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Their usefulness remains an open question At the back of a conference hall at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a humanoid robot twitched through a preprogrammed wave for a crowd of cell phone cameras—a classic scene of high spectacle and unclear utility at CES.—
Eric Sullivan,
Scientific American,
6 Jan. 2026
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As the drugs flowed, Randolph's eyes were closed and his face twitched slightly.—
DAVID FISCHER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Fantasy accords bring together a variety of notes to create a scent that either can’t be found in nature or can’t be extracted from raw materials.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
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Goodles noodles are made from a mix of wheat flour, chickpea protein, and wheat protein, plus a whole bunch of vitamins extracted from various veggies.—
Andrea Strong,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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