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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of yank
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024
Her teacher promptly pulled her back into line with a yank whose mildness astonished me.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023
Matt Egan, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
Then along comes a project that yanks you from that shapeless sack of gloom.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yank
Noun
Now the big question is whether all the regulators pulling on the buckles and loops of Boeing’s straitjacket, with a potential yank from Justice to come, will seriously delay what looked like the start of strong comeback.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024
Her teacher promptly pulled her back into line with a yank whose mildness astonished me.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023
Verb
President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada offended leaders there to the point that Ontario fired back by yanking American booze from store shelves.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
Then along comes a project that yanks you from that shapeless sack of gloom.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank
Noun
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The peak-season ingredients are invariably fresh and straight from local farmers markets, and the dough is blistered in all the right places with a nice pull and fermented tang.—
Jason Mastrodonato,
The Mercury News,
25 Mar. 2025
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That is until the pull to return to it became immensely strong amid COVID lockdowns.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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While there are a slew of ways to pleasure yourself depending on these three factors, there are some basic tips that can be a helpful starting point, like how to finger yourself and how to jerk off.—
Quispe López,
Them,
12 Mar. 2025
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Avoid jerking the valve or forcing it to turn, as this could cause the valve to break off.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Urban Roots was the only California brewery to grab a spot on USA Today’s list of the best brewpubs in the United States.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Most people scroll past because your opening didn't grab them fast enough.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Even so, Wilmore and Williams will face extensive rehabilitation over the next several weeks and months as their bodies re-adapt to the unfamiliar tug of gravity. Hague and Gorbunov, who spent spent 171 days in space, will re-adapt more quickly, perhaps, but both will require physical therapy.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2025
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The gravitational tug of neighboring galaxies compresses gas within a galaxy, triggering star formation.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In the footage, the faceless android is seen suspended from the ceiling, its limbs twitching and moving in an unsettlingly human-like manner.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
11 Mar. 2025
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Something similar happened to Lindon’s recreation of a Picasso painting: His hand twitched, tearing the work to pieces.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Those commercial jobs grew scarce because of the consolidation of ad agencies and the rise of marketing content plucked from social media.—
Steven Kurutz,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Whether picked from your garden or plucked from the farmer’s market, fresh asparagus is one of the surest signs of spring.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And Fitzgerald provided the bulk of their offense from the nine-hole, ripping a two-run home run to left-center in the third inning and scoring the go-ahead run in the seventh on Grant McCray’s single up the middle.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
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The moral scaffolding that keeps us from giving in to our primal desires gets ripped away and, naturally, very rudimentary notions of decency fall apart.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the ruling did little to herald any political stability in the country, which has lurched from crisis to crisis.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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For the last six weeks, Americans have been yanked and ghosted, lurched and launched with a merciless urgency.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yank. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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