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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of yanking
In other words, eliminating them from the animal kingdom would be like yanking an entire tier of Jenga blocks out of the middle of the tower.
—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026
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
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026
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
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
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Johnson then raised both arms above her head to acknowledge the roaring, standing crowd before pulling her jersey up over her face to wipe her eyes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The study demonstrates that researchers can achieve unprecedented control over material kinks using sound, even if only by pulling them.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mark was fouled after grabbing the ensuing loose ball and made both free throws to ice the game, 77-71.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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The video, filmed by Mortensen, appears to show Paul hitting, grabbing and throwing three barstools at him.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching.—
DAVID FISCHER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There are those who close their social media accounts, those who move to a ranch away from prying eyes, and those who decide to address the issue.—
Alessandra De Tommasi,
Vanity Fair,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Under constant surveillance from informants and prying neighbors, the pair must conceal their enduring love while navigating a society on the brink of collapse, and the promise of newfound freedom.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, videos showed people tearing the coverings off the fixtures later that day.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
On Monday night, residents living near the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in the Afghan capital heard a sharp sound tearing through the sky, followed by an explosion.—
Fazelminallah Qazizai,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The easy-to-use roller design features a cooling metal applicator that gently glides across the neck's contours, massaging the lightweight formula into skin without pulling or tugging skin.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Beyond conversion, AcePDF offers editing tools such as merging and splitting PDFs, compressing large files, extracting images, adding annotations, and creating interactive forms.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
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To meet that additional need, more mines will need to be opened, and extra production developed – including extracting residual copper from old mine debris that was previously viewed as having too little copper to be worth processing.—
Adam Charles Simon,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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