Synonyms of yanked

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

• jerked
• pulled
• lurched
• twitched
• tugged
• grabbed
• shook
• jolted
• bucked
• hitched
• bumped
• hoicked
• snatched
• dragged
• tore
• ripped
• staggered
• plucked
• jiggled
• jogged
• jounced
• wrenched
• lugged
• joggled
• jigged
• snapped (up)
• pitched
• tweaked
• wrung
• wrested

2

as in pulled

to draw out by force or with effort

yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulled
• pried
• extracted
• plucked
• removed
• uprooted
• tore (out)
• prized
• wrung
• took (out)
• rooted (out)
• wrested
• corkscrewed
• withdrew
• mined

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inserted
• installed
• implanted
• jammed
• stuffed
• instilled
• crammed
• wedged
• rammed

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

• grabbed
• ripped
• tore
• pulled
• snatched
• wrenched
• wrested
• seized
• snapped (up)
• extracted
• pried
• severed
• cut (off)
• forced
• jerked
• nabbed
• amputated
• uprooted
• lopped (off)
• nipped
• prized
• dissevered
• rooted (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattached

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of yanked

The officer is also seen putting a woman in a patrol car — the same woman who is shown on the ground having her hair yanked by an officer. — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

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