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
Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel drew walks, sandwiched around a Trout single, and then Soler yanked a three-run double down the left field line.
—
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Minnesota starter Taj Bradley struck out nine over 4 1/3 innings, but was yanked after throwing 92 pitches.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
The Pirates used six pitchers after Skenes was yanked with two outs.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
Most agents were yanked from Minnesota.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Harkening back to the league’s glory days, back when the big men battles were so brawling the conference temporarily went to six fouls, Ejiofor scored 18 points, yanked down nine rebounds and swatted six blocks.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
The community backlash was swift as customers stopped going to the South End brewery and distributors yanked Sycamore products from shelves.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2026
Footage showed Pino lunging at Thayer as his younger brother yanked the ax away from him.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
The worries have ignited a downcycle for private credit players as retail investors yanked funds in recent weeks, driving abnormally high redemptions at firms including Blue Owl and Blackstone.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Minnesota starter Taj Bradley struck out nine over 4 1/3 innings, but was yanked after throwing 92 pitches.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
The Pirates used six pitchers after Skenes was yanked with two outs.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
Most agents were yanked from Minnesota.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Harkening back to the league’s glory days, back when the big men battles were so brawling the conference temporarily went to six fouls, Ejiofor scored 18 points, yanked down nine rebounds and swatted six blocks.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
The community backlash was swift as customers stopped going to the South End brewery and distributors yanked Sycamore products from shelves.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2026
Footage showed Pino lunging at Thayer as his younger brother yanked the ax away from him.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
The worries have ignited a downcycle for private credit players as retail investors yanked funds in recent weeks, driving abnormally high redemptions at firms including Blue Owl and Blackstone.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
-
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
-
The North Huntingdon Township Police Department said the homeowner pulled a gun on the utility worker, who was sent to shut off service, and chased him away from his home on Water Street in Ardara.—
Erika Stanish,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
When Tree City Juice & Smoothie Cafe pulled the plug on its two brick-and-mortar restaurants last year, the closures hit home for Bethany Anderson.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shamet was fouled on the play and missed the and-one free throw, but second-year backup big man Ariel Hukporti grabbed the offensive rebound to create a second shot opportunity.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Walmart grabbed 23% of the market share last year, the same as in 2024.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Someone pried open the mailbox of a residence in the 18000 block of Vessing Road, causing damage estimated at approximately $1,200.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The officers pried open the panel to free the woman, who was unable to get out of the tank on her own, according to the court records.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The words could have been ripped from Davie’s final speech.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Thieves broke the windows of several cars in Lakeview and ripped out the airbags from the steering wheels.—
Shardaa Gray,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Instead of programming every step, the researchers simply let these dynamics unfold and then extracted useful information from the outcome.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Defense attorneys had lined up a Texas lab regarded as one of the most respected in the nation, with the head of that lab testifying that the testing and analysis of any DNA that could be extracted would take two weeks or less.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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