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
Relevance
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
In the footage, a uniformed officer is seen forcibly grabbing the female passenger’s arm and yanking her towards the aisle.
—
Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Stern is one of several high-profile entertainments hosts who have condemned ABC and Disney for yanking Kimmel off the air.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
The wind had a shape, pulling and yanking chaotically like ocean currents working plants on the seafloor.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The show’s yanking last week sparked a national debate about freedom of speech.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
The comments caused an uproar, leading to major sponsors pulling their ads and local affiliates yanking the program.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
The industry functions on a delicate infrastructure of intimidation, backbiting, and the occasional contract amid endless favors, yanking Aasmaan through its machinations like a rag doll in the wind.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2025
Bank advocacy groups are warning that allowing the rewards will lead to a rush of customers yanking funds from community banks and putting them into stablecoins or other crypto.
—Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Merin wrote in the complaint that Gurich grabbed a writing instrument attached to an electronic signature machine, pulling the writing instrument out of Thimmhardy’s right hand and yanking the electronic signature machine off the desk.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Stern is one of several high-profile entertainments hosts who have condemned ABC and Disney for yanking Kimmel off the air.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
The wind had a shape, pulling and yanking chaotically like ocean currents working plants on the seafloor.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The show’s yanking last week sparked a national debate about freedom of speech.
—Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
The comments caused an uproar, leading to major sponsors pulling their ads and local affiliates yanking the program.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
The industry functions on a delicate infrastructure of intimidation, backbiting, and the occasional contract amid endless favors, yanking Aasmaan through its machinations like a rag doll in the wind.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2025
Bank advocacy groups are warning that allowing the rewards will lead to a rush of customers yanking funds from community banks and putting them into stablecoins or other crypto.
—Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
Merin wrote in the complaint that Gurich grabbed a writing instrument attached to an electronic signature machine, pulling the writing instrument out of Thimmhardy’s right hand and yanking the electronic signature machine off the desk.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanking
Verb
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He, too, was bowled over by the film's tear-jerking finale.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
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With an epic Oscar-winning title song by Streisand and tear-jerking scenes aplenty, this film is a perennial favorite and often referred to in pop culture.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shepp announced that Veal earned the rare Girl Scout Saving Award, an accolade reserved for monumental acts of bravery; Veal, along with her mother, helped save the life of a Sand City Beach fisherman who lost his footing and collapsed, pulling him ashore.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
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The profile image on the chat features a behind-the-scenes snapshot of Bailey with his on-screen brothers Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) pulling silly faces.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the footage, a uniformed officer is seen forcibly grabbing the female passenger’s arm and yanking her towards the aisle.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Go out there and jump and grabbing balls out of the air.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to Alixandra, who didn't share her surname, Sparrow masterminded her own midnight feast by toppling the feeder and prying off the lid.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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This is about creating a childhood away from prying eyes, giving his children the space and support to enjoy being children without a care in the world.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum released footage Saturday night of himself going through a basketball workout about 4 1/2 months after tearing his Achilles tendon.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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The director was tearing pages out of the script.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When that happens, the quads start tugging on your patellar tendon, a band of tissue that joins the kneecap with the shin bone, causing pain there, Ginader explains.—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
28 Sep. 2025
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The heart-tugging comedy is a point of pride for Johansson, 40, who hopes to set an example to her kids by stepping behind the camera and chasing her dreams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That always amps up the pressure a bit, but the challenging layout of the track really forced me to focus on extracting the most out of the Mustang at low and high speeds.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Sep. 2025
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The researchers analyzed changes in Swift’s accent between 2008 and 2019, extracting audio from interviews on YouTube and elsewhere online.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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