yanked; yanking; yanks
: to pull on something with a quick vigorous movement
1
: to pull or extract with a quick vigorous movement
2
: to remove in or as if in an abrupt manner
yanked the story from the evening edition
Synonyms
Examples of yank in a Sentence
Verb
He yanked the door shut.
She yanked on the dog's leash.
Noun (1)
had to give the shoe a good yank to get it off
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Some speculate that Trump could unilaterally pull the United States out of NATO or yank large numbers of American troops out of Europe.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2024
Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Only the snarl of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 will give away that this wagon’s packing 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of yank.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yank 
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Verb
Moloney also approached another journalist, grabbed his camera and yanked it, causing that journalist to stumble down stairs and damaging his camera, according to a court filing accompanying Moloney’s plea agreement.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Some speculate that Trump could unilaterally pull the United States out of NATO or yank large numbers of American troops out of Europe.
—Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2024
Noun
With tugs and yanks and positive feedback, a planetary makeover began that is rampant today.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Only the snarl of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 will give away that this wagon’s packing 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of yank.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yank
Dictionary Entries Near yank
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yank. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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