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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of yanked
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
McDaniel even yanked Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers after his third pick.
—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
Imanaga allowed a second blast, a solo shot to catcher William Contreras, and was yanked from the game following the third inning.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025
McDaniel even yanked Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers after his third pick.
—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
Imanaga allowed a second blast, a solo shot to catcher William Contreras, and was yanked from the game following the third inning.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
-
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Hot dishes pulled from the oven should never be put directly into cold water, and any glass pans pulled from the refrigerator for reheating should be brought to room temperature before heating.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Photos taken of Kitzing at the time of their arrest in 1936 show them in feminine dress, with long hair pulled back, wearing a fur coat and a hat.—
Kate Sosin,
Them.,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the fight, Meza grabbed a revolver from his car and shot Christina.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The Club name changed the narrative with its quarterly results as its cloud computing unit grabbed market share, again.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Hollywood lurched into a fresh wave of existential panic this week after Deadline, notating an otherwise dry industry panel on Saturday, September 27, seized on a stray remark.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Malkin pried a few gory details out about the storylines out of LaNasa.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In the lab, the team pried the soldiers’ teeth open.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Midway through the first period, Matthews ripped home a power-play goal.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her hand twitched from the heat.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
-
My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Both seem to be responding to a culture in which women’s caregiving is extracted until nothing is left.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
30 Oct. 2025
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At the end of the experiment, third-party engineers extracted core samples from both lanes for lab testing and analysis.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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