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
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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
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Recent Examples of yanked
Once, Denise yanked an earring out of Djena’s left ear, tearing the lobe.
—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
That infuriatingly catchy Kars4Kids donation jingle got yanked off the air in California.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
The rookie was yanked after allowing six goals on 33 shots in Game 6.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Calling out the Chiefs fan for being a bandwagoner was funny, as was Aqib Talib’s chain bit against the Raiders, calling back to when Talib yanked a chain off of former Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
—Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 15 May 2026
The move yanked King from her role as chair.
—Tess Riski
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Swalwell denied all allegations, but days later dropped out of the race and resigned from office as his campaign collapsed and supporters yanked their endorsements.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
During the scuffle, the victim’s gold chain was yanked from his neck.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Some developers yanked thousands of dollars of advertising in protest.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
That infuriatingly catchy Kars4Kids donation jingle got yanked off the air in California.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
The rookie was yanked after allowing six goals on 33 shots in Game 6.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Calling out the Chiefs fan for being a bandwagoner was funny, as was Aqib Talib’s chain bit against the Raiders, calling back to when Talib yanked a chain off of former Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
—Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 15 May 2026
The move yanked King from her role as chair.
—Tess Riski
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Swalwell denied all allegations, but days later dropped out of the race and resigned from office as his campaign collapsed and supporters yanked their endorsements.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
During the scuffle, the victim’s gold chain was yanked from his neck.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Some developers yanked thousands of dollars of advertising in protest.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanked
Verb
-
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The dogs, including newborn puppies, were pulled to safety by the Brandywine Valley SPCA rescue team.—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
The war pulled the Bureau away from these efforts, but once peace returned, Kline and his scientists had gone back to work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Young grabbed onto Elijah’s hair to try to hang onto the moment.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Becerra blunder The first ad that grabbed my attention was a quick-turn by San José Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan (still stuck in single-digit polling numbers), who jumped on Xavier Becerra’s first major mess-up.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, federal policy has lurched in opposite directions.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But the best dishes attest to careful technique, like the lovingly fluffy housemade paneer that somehow melts and crumbles at once, and biryani under a lid sealed with a strip of dough, pried off with a knife at your table.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
In what was billed an organizational coup, the Braves pried Chuck Tanner from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cox from the Jays.—
Mark Bradley for the AJC,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, male athletes get ripped to shreds 24/7 on television, radio, podcasts and social media without anyone questioning whether the existence of criticism itself is harmful to the sport.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
Ensure the item is in working condition and not damaged, broken, or ripped.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It can be copied, replayed, leaked, modeled or eventually extracted.—
Pravir Malik,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
It was extracted in central Africa in the 1990s, and in its uncut state weighed nearly 12 carats.—
Leigh Anne Miller,
ARTnews.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanked. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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