1
as in jerked
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 pulled
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 grabbed
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of yanked
Kimmel’s show was yanked immediately, and its future is murky.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Hundreds of artists have yanked their music from streaming services in Israel to protest the ongoing violence against Palestinian people, including Kneecap, Faye Webster and Japanese Breakfast.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Minutes after Nexstar criticized Kimmel publicly, ABC said the show was being yanked nationwide.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
After Kimmel’s show was yanked Wednesday night, much of the reaction came on Thursday.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
On Tuesday night, the Dodgers wasted the best start of Shohei Ohtani's career in blue, after the two-way superstar was yanked after the fifth inning as scheduled.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Kimmel is the latest late-night host to be yanked from a major network.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2025
Of course, Shrader nailed the 45-yarder, the Colts reached back into the jaws of defeat and yanked out a win, and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was left to stare blankly into the distance on a sideline bench.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Until George Springer yanked a 450-foot fly to the left-field bleachers, the lineup was ostensibly silent.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Hundreds of artists have yanked their music from streaming services in Israel to protest the ongoing violence against Palestinian people, including Kneecap, Faye Webster and Japanese Breakfast.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Minutes after Nexstar criticized Kimmel publicly, ABC said the show was being yanked nationwide.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
After Kimmel’s show was yanked Wednesday night, much of the reaction came on Thursday.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
On Tuesday night, the Dodgers wasted the best start of Shohei Ohtani's career in blue, after the two-way superstar was yanked after the fifth inning as scheduled.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Kimmel is the latest late-night host to be yanked from a major network.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2025
Of course, Shrader nailed the 45-yarder, the Colts reached back into the jaws of defeat and yanked out a win, and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was left to stare blankly into the distance on a sideline bench.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Until George Springer yanked a 450-foot fly to the left-field bleachers, the lineup was ostensibly silent.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
-
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
She’s definitely delayed or pulled releases or skipped entire seasons.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
First lady Jill Biden pulled Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff aside.—
Chris Megerian,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Agents grabbed one man who appeared to be charging up the driveway, pinned him to the ground and hustled him behind the gate with his hands behind his back.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
-
On the third play from scrimmage, freshman defensive back Kiingbaraka Kizzee grabbed a deflected pass for an interception and returned the ball 46 yards to the Sierra Canyon 5.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kirk lurched back and to the left.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Stripped of a reliable majority, Macron's governments have lurched from one showdown to the next.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The complaint alleges that Moseley interfered with her players’ mental health treatment, pried into players’ personal and romantic lives and threatened players about scholarships and playing time.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
-
The linchpin isn't just at risk; it's being actively pried loose.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The drought grew to 41 2/3 innings before Crim ripped JP Sears’ first-pitch sweeper 439 feet to left-center, scoring Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck, who opened the fourth with back-to-back singles.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Justin wore a neon pink hoodie and ripped jeans and sat on a couch while his son Jack, who wore pink leggings, a pink tank top and a pink beanie, leaned over his dad.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The mechanism for raising and lowering the pen made a weak clunking sound and barely twitched.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Whereas previous metal pollution records extracted their silt, or evidence from areas far from their sources— upland peat cores or mountain and polar glaciers, Cambridge specifies –the most recent data comes from the epicenter of production, a paleochannel of the River Ure, Cambridge explains.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The New Extraction Economy Early colonial powers extracted gold, spices and resources from distant lands while giving little back to local communities.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share