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
Just as the video began, a man identified as Justin Calhoon, 19, lunged across the table, yanked it toward him and flipped it on its side while Turning Point materials spilled onto the pavement.
—
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
While the Russian threatened to make history against Chicago just two nights earlier—he’d reached the 894 mark before the Blackhawks yanked their goalie—Ovechkin apparently wasn’t interested in breaking the record by way of an empty net.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025
On Friday, he was yanked after only one snap.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
It was yanked off the market and plopped back on.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
In response, the footage shows, agents yanked his brother to the ground, shoving his face into wet concrete.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
Three hooded, masked men jumped out, yanked him from the driver’s seat and beat him, repeatedly pistol-whipping and punching him before fleeing with the watch, according to the victim and Irvine police, who took a report.
—Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
The play where DeMario Douglas zig-zagged through a sad-sack Saints secondary for a touchdown, then returned to the sideline and got yanked back with the rest of the offense.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
In the video, the security guard who leaped into the crowd at the man who yanked at Eilish appeared to be thrown backward by him.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
While the Russian threatened to make history against Chicago just two nights earlier—he’d reached the 894 mark before the Blackhawks yanked their goalie—Ovechkin apparently wasn’t interested in breaking the record by way of an empty net.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025
On Friday, he was yanked after only one snap.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
It was yanked off the market and plopped back on.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
In response, the footage shows, agents yanked his brother to the ground, shoving his face into wet concrete.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
Three hooded, masked men jumped out, yanked him from the driver’s seat and beat him, repeatedly pistol-whipping and punching him before fleeing with the watch, according to the victim and Irvine police, who took a report.
—Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
The play where DeMario Douglas zig-zagged through a sad-sack Saints secondary for a touchdown, then returned to the sideline and got yanked back with the rest of the offense.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
In the video, the security guard who leaped into the crowd at the man who yanked at Eilish appeared to be thrown backward by him.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
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Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
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Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For years, fashion companies like Ralph Lauren pulled their products from Macy’s stores to sell more of their products direct to consumers online and at their own stores.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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Curran then grabbed Trantalis’ leg and pulled him to the ground, then reportedly dragged him 15 feet across the road.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Shakarna grabbed her medication and headed to try to reach her, fearing for her life.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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But like de Blasio did 12 years earlier, Mamdani identified the growing crisis of unaffordability as the city's most pressing problem and grabbed attention − especially from the young and online − by promising to address it.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When he was sacked amid boardroom disputes in September, owner Evangelos Marinakis lurched in another direction.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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Instead of taking a low profile and playing down any claims to Taiwan’s independent status like his more cautious DPP predecessor Tsai Ying-wen, Lai has lurched toward formal independence with a succession of speeches making the case for Taiwanese nationhood.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Malkin pried a few gory details out about the storylines out of LaNasa.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
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In the lab, the team pried the soldiers’ teeth open.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Midway through the third quarter, true freshman linebacker Mason Posa, buried on the depth chart just weeks ago, ripped the ball loose at Washington’s 7-yard line and fell on it himself.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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As a result of that low demand and a massive decline in sales, producers in the Golden State have ripped out nearly 40,000 acres of vines over the past year, according to a new report from the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG).—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His eyes twitched in rapid blinks, his lips disappeared as if cold fury were coursing through his body.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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Her hand twitched from the heat.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Historically, concrete production depended heavily on natural sand and gravel extracted from riverbeds, a practice that led to severe environmental degradation in some regions.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Pumpkin Seeds Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are edible seeds extracted from pumpkins.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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