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 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
To be fair, Milhoan didn’t endorse yanking the polio vaccine from the CDC’s childhood-immunization schedule, as other vaccines were earlier this month.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Trump did not take kindly to those remarks, responding with threats in Davos before yanking the Board of Peace invitation.
—Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
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
To be fair, Milhoan didn’t endorse yanking the polio vaccine from the CDC’s childhood-immunization schedule, as other vaccines were earlier this month.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Trump did not take kindly to those remarks, responding with threats in Davos before yanking the Board of Peace invitation.
—Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanking
Verb
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Giddey stopped, the ball cradled in his palm, shouting while jerking his hand in the rough direction of his intended pass.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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Video of the collision shows the train jerking from side-to-side.—
Sara Gregory,
AJC.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These include squatting, hinging, stepping, pushing, pulling and stabilizing your core — the mechanics behind getting up from a chair, picking something up off the floor, opening and closing doors, climbing stairs, and maintaining balance to avoid falls.—
Dana Santas Feb 28,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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Howe switched around his personnel in search of a revival, moving Anthony Gordon from centre-forward to left-wing, Nick Woltemade from No 8 to striker, and pulling Joelinton back into midfield.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Wembanyama had back-to-back dunks in the second quarter, including grabbing his own miss and throwing it down for what became a three-point play on a foul by Javonte Green.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brigham is also charged with assaulting a man by grabbing and twisting his genitals.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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The film uses music, the clippity-clop of hooves and twitching furry ears for her three donkeys — Palaye, Ruperto, Palomo — to surf critical acclaim on the film festival circuit to the upcoming Academy Awards.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The floor-to-ceiling glass doors that line the west-facing wall to make the most of a stunning hillside view are easily blocked from light and prying eyes by curtains at the push of a button.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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Now that the 2026 Winter Olympics are over, many people are prying into the personal lives of Olympic gold medalists.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then, the new school lost one of its newest players when Kyle Fraser was medically evacuated after tearing his Achilles during the day 3 immunity challenge.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
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Coach Paul Maurice said captain Aleksander Barkov, who's recovering from tearing the ACL and medial collateral ligament in his right knee during training camp, is not expected back until at least late March.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Barcelona, Cindy was alert enough to ward off a would-be thief tugging on her tote bag.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
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When Otegbayo became the second player dismissed, this time on 90 minutes for a second caution after tugging back Tyrese Campbell, the game was up.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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ContextIA is capable of answering specific queries with direct quotes and page references; extracting particular data such as phone numbers, license plates and coordinates; and, as its name suggests, cross-referencing cases in the context of different databases.—
Karen Esquivel,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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That’s partly because heat pumps work by extracting heat from outdoor air, compressing it and piping it indoors, a thermal magic trick that’s harder to perform in places with subzero winters.—
Ben Christopher,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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