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

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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

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 Ignoring that rule could get flood insurance coverage yanked for an entire community. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 Wi-Fi is not free on those services; T-Mobile used to comp at least an hour of connectivity for subscribers, but quietly yanked that benefit in April. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026 The force of my fall on the rope yanked her upward and slammed her against the rock. — Daniel Duane, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Every belt buckle looks freshly yanked off the rack; every speck of signage resembles something painted 45 minutes before filming commenced that day. — Michael Phillips, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 After Lopez says something to the officers, he is yanked to the ground and punched repeatedly. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Although nine episodes were filmed, only two aired before A&E yanked the controversial and critically panned series, WXIX reported at the time. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026 Two months later, Jimmy Kimmel Live was briefly yanked from the air over comments that host Jimmy Kimmel made about the killing of Charlie Kirk. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026 The catch is that the number of neutrons in the universe plummeted during the game, like chairs being yanked out of line. — Cara Giovanetti, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
  1. jerked
  2. pulled
  3. grabbed
  4. lurched
  5. pried
  6. ripped
  7. twitched
  8. extracted
Verb
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerked
Verb
  • Shohei Ohtani emerged from the visiting dugout at American Family Field with a bat in his hand, and the mass of media members scattered in foul territory up the third-base line shifted his way, pulled by the magnetic force that is Ohtani’s stardom.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • On Wednesday, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republicans' super PAC, effectively dropped its push to boost Tijerina and pulled millions of dollars in ads from the district, a person familiar with the decision confirmed.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pulled
Verb
  • The little girl would later tell officers that her brother grabbed the knife and threw it at her, the blade hitting her chest.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Fitzgerald then allegedly grabbed her arm and tried to pull her toward him.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of grabbed
Verb
  • The airplane lurched skyward, and Elwood was strapped in for the ride.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Markets have lurched up and down as oil prices shot higher because of the war with Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurched
Verb
  • Someone pried open the rear cover to a truck and stole a set of golf clubs for a loss of about $3,000.
    — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • But maybe pried his focus and joy and freedom away just a little bit going into the year.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of pried
Verb
  • With two outs in the opening frame, Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca ripped consecutive RBI knocks to put Tampa Bay up 2-0.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Popular at American Chinese or Cajun-style Chinese restaurants, the sticky-sweet chicken is the utter definition of delicious, luring weary shoppers into food courts to find refuge from the bubblegum pink sweatpants and ripped denim.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripped
Verb
  • Just then, Chee Meng’s fishing rod twitched, and the line began to run out.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of twitched
Verb
  • Their opportunity came during the cross-examination of Elizabeth Riddell, an FBI case manager who had extracted messages and other data from the cellphones of defendants in the case.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Both the driver and semi were taken to the Newton-Azrak Station in Murrieta, where hazardous response specialists extracted the liquid contents from the tank, which tested positive for meth, the release said.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2026.

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