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
Surveillance video obtained by affiliate FOX 4 Dallas showed Ramirez yanking the father out of the driver's side of his car and forcefully trying to get inside.
—
Alexandra Koch , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
After Correa doubled leading off the first against Tanner Bibee, Alvarez followed by yanking a curveball from the right-hander 422 feet over the wall in right field to give the Astros a 2-0 lead that held up for nine innings.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Supporters in labor unions and in the House soon began yanking their endorsements.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
The video shows the pacing man pounding on the front door and attempting to kick it in before yanking down a hanging doorbell fixture near the entryway and hurling it at the doorway.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
But cystic fibrosis was a tether, yanking O’Neal back home for treatments.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Chelsea were a few seconds from going out of the quarter-finals (losing 3-2 on aggregate) when Arsenal full-back Katie McCabe halted a run by Chelsea’s USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson by grabbing Thompson’s ponytail and yanking it, as shown above.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Alexandra Koch , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
After Correa doubled leading off the first against Tanner Bibee, Alvarez followed by yanking a curveball from the right-hander 422 feet over the wall in right field to give the Astros a 2-0 lead that held up for nine innings.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Supporters in labor unions and in the House soon began yanking their endorsements.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
The video shows the pacing man pounding on the front door and attempting to kick it in before yanking down a hanging doorbell fixture near the entryway and hurling it at the doorway.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
But cystic fibrosis was a tether, yanking O’Neal back home for treatments.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Chelsea were a few seconds from going out of the quarter-finals (losing 3-2 on aggregate) when Arsenal full-back Katie McCabe halted a run by Chelsea’s USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson by grabbing Thompson’s ponytail and yanking it, as shown above.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Keep the movement coming from your ribs, rotating, not by yanking your neck.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanking
Verb
-
Pull the tick out gently, without jerking or ripping.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Moon in Sagittarius moves through your 9th House of Perspective, pulling you toward bigger plans and bold ideas that feel exciting.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Police tried pulling him over around the area of Beverly and San Vicente boulevards, a major intersection adjacent to the Beverly Center shopping mall and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Other complaints had to do with the Puerto Rican rap star grabbing his crotch, and with two dancers who allegedly grabbed each other's breasts (which, if true, is a wild dance move).—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Afternoon Ben Thanh Market is Hồ Chí Minh’s biggest market – a vast maze of 1,500 stalls selling everything from still-twitching fish to electronics and souvenirs.—
Tamara Hinson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The attendant and one of the passengers worked together at prying open the baggage compartment door while the other passenger crawled around the floor, searching in the thick smoke for a cellphone to try to use as a flashlight, according to the statement transcripts.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
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Reinforce your privacy fence by layering new fencing on top of existing fencing for an extra layer of protection that will help insulate your backyard from noise as well as prying eyes.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Correa was an outsized contributor to that, posting the third-highest OPS-plus among Astros regulars prior to tearing a tendon in his ankle taking a swing in the batting cage.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
7 May 2026
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Law enforcement should focus on serious criminal activity, not tearing families apart.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Love & Other Drugs (2010) Edward Zwick’s Love & Other Drugs is a mixed bag, attempting to skewer the pharmaceutical world at the advent of Viagra while also being a heart-tugging romantic comedy.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Having the peace of mind that your top won’t distract you by shifting or tugging makes bodysuits a worthwhile office attire investment.—
Kevin Huynh,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That lets the term be understood in a range of ways, whether a corporate-friendly approach to conservation, or a new way to talk about extracting marine resources, sustainably or otherwise.—
Natalie Sum Yue Chung,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
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Compared to apples or pears, which require extracting and cleaning multiple seeds from the core, these single pits make seed-saving far more straightforward.—
Rachel Silva,
Martha Stewart,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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