yanked

verb

past tense of yank
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

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 This bestselling line of classic creepy characters is yanked straight from your best memories of Halloween as a child. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Karol then appeared to try deescalating the abrupt encounter, but she was yanked by the fan again before security escorted him from the stage. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 July 2026 In recent months, numerous automakers have yanked EVs from the market, delayed new arrivals, and canceled their plans to debut new EVs. — Tim Levin, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026 Normally, a pitcher with that pitch count who had given up just one run and two hits would not get yanked so quickly, but the Angels clearly had seen red flags during the previous inning. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 July 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
  1. jerked
  2. pulled
  3. grabbed
  4. lurched
  5. pried
  6. ripped
  7. twitched
  8. extracted
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
  • Reid pulled him aside both of the last two days for one-on-one conversations, presumably to discuss assignments and coverages.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Kerkering then hit Alonso on an 0-2 count, and after Mayza entered, Henderson pulled his 2-1 sinker to the base of the right-center wall.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of pulled
Verb
  • In an attempt to stop the dog attack, the owner grabbed a gun and shot the attacking dog.
    — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Mulholland grabbed his assistant and told his chauffeur to head there.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of grabbed
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
  • Security video of the early April 9 morning burglary shows three men entered the business through a broken window, smashed the machines with sledge hammers and pried out the boxes while a fourth man acted as lookout, the report said.
    — Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Poole is a top-100 prospect from the Peach State and what makes his commitment to FSU even more impressive is the fact that the Noles pried him away from the home-state Georgia Bulldogs.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of pried
Verb
  • The images her sister captured after the strike show the trajectory of the projectile, which ripped through floor after floor, and left a gaping hole covered in a thick layer of white dust.
    — Ava Bambuck, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • As if it were ripped from a movie script, Crow-Armstrong slugged a leadoff home run in the first — just as Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had in the top of the inning to cap a 10-pitch at-bat against Shota Imanaga.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 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
  • Keys and constants that can be extracted from public firmware can be used to authenticate to, or decrypt traffic from, BMCs.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026
  • One draws on samples drawn from a different area; the other uses stool samples extracted in different years.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of extracted

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Cite this Entry

“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of yanked for Spanish Speakers

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