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
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
Discouraged home sellers are yanking the for-sale signs out of their front yards.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Discouraged home sellers are yanking the for-sale signs out of their front yards.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanking
Verb
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Video of the collision shows the train jerking from side-to-side.—
Sara Gregory,
AJC.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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Merchants are aware that prices of metals could backtrack or keep jerking upward.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Scheller, well-respected in Central Florida’s legal community, has been pulling together a team of attorneys willing to represent pro bono migrants detained locally.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
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Venero was seen dressed entirely in black and pulling a black and red Husky rolling tool bag.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indiana lawmakers are expected to vote on some spotlight-grabbing bills today, including one that would pave the way for the Chicago Bears to move to Hammond, Indiana.—
Kaitlin Lange,
IndyStar,
27 Feb. 2026
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The Smart House Inc dryer vent cleaner is an effective tool for grabbing lint that clogs hoses.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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But the Missouri was always a wild river twitching its bed from side to side across its flood plain.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Glenn stepped in to hug her and shield her from prying cameras that had zoomed in on the distraught Sakamoto.—
Alice Park,
Time,
22 Feb. 2026
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Most recently, this meant prying off press-on nails that were very firmly glued on.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Use sharp, clean pruners to cut off stems rather than twisting or tearing them off.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
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After tearing his bicep and enduring numerous fits of vomiting, Jim was physically done — and soon done from the game as well.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Favorite moment of Games The Olympics are full of heart-tugging moments but none were better than Elana Meyers Taylor standing on the podium after winning the gold medal in women’s monobob.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Now, another hoax is tugging on the heartstrings of animal lovers.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Together, these modifications are designed to enhance combustion efficiency and improve energy recovery within a hybrid drivetrain architecture, extracting more usable output from each combustion cycle while supporting electrified performance.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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Beethoven’s music improves Goethe, extracting its humanity and frailty, and Dudamel’s performance probed its profound inevitability of good triumphing over evil.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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