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
Greg threw open the door and yanked Jake by the arm.
—
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Immigrants and citizens have been yanked from cars and homes and detained, sometimes for days.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Agents have yanked people from their cars and homes, and have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding that the officers pack up and leave.
—Steve Karnowski, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Agents have yanked American citizens from their cars and homes and have been confronted by angry bystanders and protesters who track their movements and warn others of their presence with whistles and banging pots and pans.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Instead, Republicans yanked the DHS bill from the package for the State and Treasury departments, with designs to attach it to a fourth and final minibus expected to hit the floor next week.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2026
In Plano, spokesperson Amanda McNew said 4,000 signs were yanked from the ground by city workers in 2025.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
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
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Immigrants and citizens have been yanked from cars and homes and detained, sometimes for days.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Agents have yanked people from their cars and homes, and have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding that the officers pack up and leave.
—Steve Karnowski, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Agents have yanked American citizens from their cars and homes and have been confronted by angry bystanders and protesters who track their movements and warn others of their presence with whistles and banging pots and pans.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Instead, Republicans yanked the DHS bill from the package for the State and Treasury departments, with designs to attach it to a fourth and final minibus expected to hit the floor next week.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2026
In Plano, spokesperson Amanda McNew said 4,000 signs were yanked from the ground by city workers in 2025.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
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
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
-
Media reports indicate that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles pulled back in mid-2025.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
During the confrontation, Schwable allegedly pulled a knife from his sleeve and waved it toward others, leading the bystander to strike him with a toolbox and restrain him until officers arrived.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jazzy Davidson scored all of her 12 points in the first quarter on a poor shooting night (5 for 23 from the field), grabbed five boards and dished out five assists.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Towns scored 17 and grabbed 20 rebounds for New York, while Mikal Bridges scored 21 and OG Anunoby scored 25.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Sir Jimmy is obsessed with the television of his childhood, before his reality was ripped limb from limb.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Mend loose or ripped seams before cleaning to retain the coat's shape and to keep the fill from coming out.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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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
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 23 Jan. 2026.
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