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
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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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
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Weathers was charged an additional run after issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth and getting pulled from the game.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The picture represented every second of invisible labor that pulled me away from the little people who mattered most to me, all the work that stole my ability to be present in those moments and remember them, too.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The officer grabbed me and said 'you're arrested,' and just put me in handcuffs and drug and dragged me out.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Much of the film feels like Cronin grabbed a bunch of different clothes off a rack at a clothing store only to end up wearing a bizarrely mismatched outfit that never really comes together.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
16 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
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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
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Colbert also pried about the pair’s friendship with the author George Saunders, asking for an invite the next time the three hang out.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Luis Campusano ripped an 0-2 slider for a double to left-center after missing on two sliders.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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The junior outfielder/catcher went 3-for-4, ripped a two-run homer and drove in four runs to lead the host Griffins to a 10-4 win over Lemont in Frankfort.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The money set aside to cover its share stands at almost three times the profit extracted from the UK auto finance unit over more than a decade, underscoring the severity of the capital drag.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
10 Apr. 2026
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Astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover aboard a recovery ship after being extracted from the Artemis II capsule in the Pacific Ocean, following the Artemis II crew's flyby of the Moon, in this screengrab from a livestream video, April 10, 2026.—
Miles Doran,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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