Synonyms of yanking

yanking

verb

present participle of yank

1

as in jerking

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion

she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jerking
• pulling
• twitching
• tugging
• lurching
• grabbing
• shaking
• bucking
• jolting
• hitching
• bumping
• tearing
• dragging
• hoicking
• ripping
• snatching
• staggering
• plucking
• jiggling
• jigging
• jogging
• lugging
• jouncing
• tweaking
• pitching
• wrenching
• snapping (up)
• joggling
• wringing
• wresting

2

as in pulling

to draw out by force or with effort

yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulling
• prying
• extracting
• plucking
• removing
• uprooting
• tearing (out)
• wringing
• taking (out)
• corkscrewing
• wresting
• rooting (out)
• prizing
• withdrawing
• mining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inserting
• installing
• instilling
• implanting
• stuffing
• jamming
• wedging
• ramming
• cramming

3

as in grabbing

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

• grabbing
• tearing
• ripping
• pulling
• snatching
• wrenching
• wresting
• prying
• extracting
• seizing
• cutting (off)
• severing
• forcing
• snapping (up)
• amputating
• jerking
• nabbing
• uprooting
• lopping (off)
• nipping
• dissevering
• rooting (out)
• prizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattaching

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of yanking

The tentacular Scylla is seen briefly but makes an impact, yanking sailors off Odysseus’s ship in a series of loud jump scares. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 July 2026

Pinned beneath her rotting legs in his recliner chair, Loftis narrowly escapes by yanking its lever, catapulting the hag over his head. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026

Video also showed the man climbing onto the roof of the car and yanking pieces of the LiDAR sensor that sits on the roof of Waymo cars and helps the vehicles map and navigate. — Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Now, with the federal and state government yanking back plenty of that funding and directly barring the city from enacting some of its more aggressive climate plans, Higgins is left with a narrow road to tread toward progress. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

The virtual oar-yanking celebration in a baseball atmosphere was one of those weird juxtapositions that seem to get fostered whenever a World Cup fanbase descends upon a host city. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026

Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck. — Jakob Roze, Health, 23 June 2026

Counsell admitted postgame that yanking Imanaga might not have been the right move. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026