YANKED Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

yanked

verb

past tense of yank

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

Relevance

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

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

reattached

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of yanked Then we’re yanked into Louis’s hazy POV, from which Armand is reading another one of his apology letters. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026 However, their anti-tank and anti-air systems failed to make a decisive difference after the Shah of Iran suddenly yanked out Iran’s decisive support from under them and cut a deal with Baghdad, crushing Kurdish morale in the process. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 On one night, as portrayed in the movie, Belfort and Macaluso were canoodling in a limo when his first wife yanked him from the vehicle, according to the documentary. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 14 July 2026 Having yanked herself out of the doldrums, Nosková zipped to a 5-2 lead in the second set, before again giving up four quick points to Muchová. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 11 July 2026 Winco also yanked about 13,500 Roman Candles 8 Shot 3-Pack Firework Devices. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026 Then, in a split second, his fly is gone, yanked into the depths by a rainbow. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026 For the past couple of years, volunteers have cut grass, trimmed and yanked out invasive vines. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 Roberts quickly gave up a run-scoring single to Christian Yelich and was yanked with the bases loaded and no outs. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked

Verb

Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.

— Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

He was pulled after giving up back-to-back hits with one out in the fourth to put runners on the corners.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
The Thunder successfully pulled this off with both Joe and Wiggins, inking both to below-market contracts two summers ago.

— Fred Katz, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of pulled

Verb

For example, New York endured weather whiplash on July 18 as the city lurched from a heat wave and smoke pollution from Canadian wildfires to flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms that dumped a few inches of rain in a short period of time.

— Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
There are vivid characters—the rich, distinguished crook Brandon, the platinum-blond secretary Miss Vermilyea; Javonen, ex-military intelligence, and seedy private eye from Kansas, Noble, who might have lurched out of an early Graham Greene story.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

Definition of lurched

Verb

As soon as the duo walked out the door, all script pages that featured the Kardashian scene were ripped away and thrown in a trash can.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Krinks has seen more security cameras installed around public parks and benches ripped out of the ground in downtown Nashville.

— Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 21 July 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.

— Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 May 2026

Definition of twitched

Verb

As residents pay fines and fees, money is extracted from the communities that can least afford the loss.

— Brian Lawton, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
During processing, the juices are extracted from the fruit, and the remaining flesh and fiber are discarded.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 21, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2026

Definition of extracted

Browse Nearby Words

yank

yanked

yanking

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of yanked

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on yanked

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vituperate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes