Synonyms of yanking

yanking

verb

present participle of yank

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

• jerking
• pulling
• twitching
• tugging
• lurching
• grabbing
• shaking
• bucking
• jolting
• hitching
• bumping
• tearing
• dragging
• hoicking
• ripping
• snatching
• staggering
• plucking
• jiggling
• jigging
• jogging
• lugging
• jouncing
• tweaking
• pitching
• wrenching
• snapping (up)
• joggling
• wringing
• wresting

2

as in pulling

to draw out by force or with effort

yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pulling
• prying
• extracting
• plucking
• removing
• uprooting
• tearing (out)
• wringing
• taking (out)
• corkscrewing
• wresting
• rooting (out)
• prizing
• withdrawing
• mining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inserting
• installing
• instilling
• implanting
• stuffing
• jamming
• wedging
• ramming
• cramming

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

• grabbing
• tearing
• ripping
• pulling
• snatching
• wrenching
• wresting
• prying
• extracting
• seizing
• cutting (off)
• severing
• forcing
• snapping (up)
• amputating
• jerking
• nabbing
• uprooting
• lopping (off)
• nipping
• dissevering
• rooting (out)
• prizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattaching

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of yanking

Video shows teams of workers yanking ropes to ferry locals who were stranded on an embankment flanked by a flooded river. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026

As the man was unconscious, Slawson was accused of yanking the suspect out of the police vehicle, causing the man to hit and split his head on the concrete, the press release stated. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026

The episode feinted toward genuine rapprochement before yanking the rug out, leaving the Gang pelted with an industrial-grade indoor blizzard and then happily chucking rocks at passing trains, as was Mac and Charlie’s childhood tradition. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026

The tentacular Scylla is seen briefly but makes an impact, yanking sailors off Odysseus’s ship in a series of loud jump scares. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 July 2026

Pinned beneath her rotting legs in his recliner chair, Loftis narrowly escapes by yanking its lever, catapulting the hag over his head. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026

Video also showed the man climbing onto the roof of the car and yanking pieces of the LiDAR sensor that sits on the roof of Waymo cars and helps the vehicles map and navigate. — Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026