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
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2
as in pulling
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of yanking
The body-camera footage shows Exum yanking the wheel left, toward the Rogue, then right.
—
Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Other plaintiffs’ attorneys, however, have called the CEO’s threat of yanking the product a scare tactic.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
The Lancers are feisty, diving for loose balls, yanking the ball out of opponents’ hands and not being shy about questioning an official’s call.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Chelsea Marie Struss was seen on video pushing, hitting, dropping, and yanking infants in her care.
—Vanessa Carlson Bender, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 12 Feb. 2026
Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
But after the first attempt malfunctioned — the lace caught on the bottom of Buckley's bouquet, resulting in the veil accidentally yanking her head back — everyone is now on high alert.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Both Blazy and Anderson, millennials with big brains, are yanking the fusty business of extraordinary clothes into the present – the former with a swell of empathy, and the other with a cerebral but intimate approach.
—CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Other plaintiffs’ attorneys, however, have called the CEO’s threat of yanking the product a scare tactic.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
The Lancers are feisty, diving for loose balls, yanking the ball out of opponents’ hands and not being shy about questioning an official’s call.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Chelsea Marie Struss was seen on video pushing, hitting, dropping, and yanking infants in her care.
—Vanessa Carlson Bender, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 12 Feb. 2026
Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
But after the first attempt malfunctioned — the lace caught on the bottom of Buckley's bouquet, resulting in the veil accidentally yanking her head back — everyone is now on high alert.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Both Blazy and Anderson, millennials with big brains, are yanking the fusty business of extraordinary clothes into the present – the former with a swell of empathy, and the other with a cerebral but intimate approach.
—CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanking
Verb
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The clip on TikTok shows the seat jerking abruptly, apparently from forceful pushes by the person seated behind her.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
But then her limbs started jerking.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Saturday’s episode marked Styles’ second time pulling double duty as SNL host and musical guest.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
15 Mar. 2026
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Use methods like hand-pulling, hoeing, newspaper or cardboard mulching, and drip irrigation to manage weeds without harming your crops or the soil.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The news led Deadline to pose the question of whether happenstance means Cannes might struggle to add headline-grabbing movies this year, with several other blockbusters unlikely to screen there.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
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Video of that incident shows Peters grabbing the other woman and shoving her into the center of a hallway.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
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Levy brought the dog in dead and claimed that that the dog had a seizure and was vomiting, choking and twitching before his death.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ceremony was held at the tiny First African Baptist Church in Cumberland Island, Georgia, away from prying eyes and paparazzi.—
Stefania Conrieri,
Vanity Fair,
6 Mar. 2026
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After being hounded by paparazzi for their entire courtship, the duo managed to pull off a secret wedding, away from prying eyes, on a secluded island in Georgia.—
Claudia Williams,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Matthew McConaughey stars as a bus driver already stressed out by a tough situation at home when a wildfire starts tearing through towns.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP Images from the scene on Swiss media showed flames tearing through the bus.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Playing the title role of a linguistics professor who faces changes and prepares her family for what's to come as the disease takes hold, Moore navigates the character arc with honesty and heart-tugging empathy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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On Friday, the Euphoria stargave fans a glimpse of her ideal cozy date night, tugging down her plunging burgundy bralette while snapping photos on her laptop from her bed.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This means that even if a fault-tolerant quantum computer becomes available, QPE could still struggle with large molecules because the chance of successfully extracting the correct energy becomes vanishingly small.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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And there’s something offensively tawdry that all of this is in mere service of extracting rent.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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