as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
had to give the shoe a good yank to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to jerk
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to pull
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 to grab
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 yank
Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Each blade has a pull tab at the top of its cartridge; just give it a gentle yank to remove it.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
Rather than yanking it all the way out right away, start by moving your range just enough to expose the connections.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yank
Noun
Four yanks later, voila: Clayton had pulled free his prize, leaving just a single strand of nylon stuck in the Alamodome rim.
—Verb
In May, most of those grants were summarily yanked by the disapproving federal government.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank
Noun
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The days when there were only a few options for kitchen cabinet knobs and pulls are long gone.—
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Pointy white pumps and a crisp button-down easily elevate relaxed, pull-on pants.—
Verb
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Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
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That jerking motion, combined with detergent and water, loosens dirt from the surfaces of clothing.—
Verb
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Start your very own love affair with Outcrease Retinol Trifecta Serum by grabbing a bottle today, and check out some of Dermelect’s other skin correcting serums and facial oils below.—
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Madison outrebounded Point Loma 36-24, with Stevens grabbing seven and Moore five.—
Noun
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In addition, the city’s Fourth of July fireworks show requires barge and tug services and marine safety coordination, adding to the overall cost.—
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Throughout the night, the two teams continued to play a game of tug of war with neither team giving the other an inch.—
Verb
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At 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Huff at his best has good bend and some twitch to his game.—
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Their usefulness remains an open question At the back of a conference hall at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, a humanoid robot twitched through a preprogrammed wave for a crowd of cell phone cameras—a classic scene of high spectacle and unclear utility at CES.—
Verb
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Mike Tomlin was an unknown when the Pittsburgh Steelers plucked him from obscurity in 2007 and handed the young and charismatic Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator one of the most stable jobs in sports.—
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But Haise did lead Lens to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, finished one point behind PSG in 2023, and did, to pluck a one-off game out of the ether, oversee a 2-1 win over Arteta’s Arsenal.—
Verb
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Mend loose or ripped seams before cleaning to retain the coat's shape and to keep the fill from coming out.—
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The day after a fire ripped through Mississippi’s largest synagogue, Rachel Myers gathered a small group of children 5 miles away and showed them photos of the aftermath.—
Verb
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Sometimes an unexpected event lurches family members into becoming caregivers.—
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The entire tech industry lurched into motion.—
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yank. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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