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 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 On one night, as portrayed in the movie, Belfort and Macaluso were canoodling in a limo when his first wife yanked him from the vehicle, according to the documentary. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 14 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 Then, in a split second, his fly is gone, yanked into the depths by a rainbow. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026 For the past couple of years, volunteers have cut grass, trimmed and yanked out invasive vines. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 Roberts quickly gave up a run-scoring single to Christian Yelich and was yanked with the bases loaded and no outs. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 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
  • He was pulled after giving up back-to-back hits with one out in the fourth to put runners on the corners.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
  • The Thunder successfully pulled this off with both Joe and Wiggins, inking both to below-market contracts two summers ago.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of pulled
Verb
  • His teacher grabbed him and ran him bleeding down the halls, in circles, screaming through the school until help caught up.
    — Gabriel Winslow-Yost, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
  • Bryan Kohberger’s innocence claim and the smoky skies of Boise grabbed the attention the past two days.
    — Chadd Cripe. Produced with AI assistance, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 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
  • After the Navy shipped out, hurricane-force Aleutian winds pried homes apart.
    — Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 20 July 2026
  • My sternum was fractured, my rib cage pried open.
    — Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
Definition of pried
Verb
  • In the second hour of Thursday’s practice Gordon committed his second fumble in two days when cornerback Chris Johnson ripped the ball out, and recovered it.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
  • The ferocious biting and pulling had broken the webbing and ripped the holster from my body.
    — Todd Orr, Outdoor Life, 30 July 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
  • As the air is extracted, the coffee grounds transition from a loose, flowing state into a rigid mass that molds itself around the object’s shape.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
  • Working with paleopathologists from the University of Pisa in Italy, the team analyzed DNA extracted from the ribs of Francesco I de' Medici, as well as Giovanni de' Medici, his younger brother who died of malaria 25 years earlier.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 July 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 31 Jul. 2026.

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