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
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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
Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023
Happy to help, Marsh popped over, entered the combination and gave it a good yank — success.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
Jonathan Wolfe, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump has promised to yank federal support for clean energy and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s signature climate bill.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yank
Noun
Her teacher promptly pulled her back into line with a yank whose mildness astonished me.
—Verb
But the winds were so violent that crew members were yanked up off their seats and struggled to control their aircraft.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for yank
Noun
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Astronomers believe the flares are coming from the inner edge of the accretion disk just beyond the black hole’s event horizon, or the area around a black hole where the pull of gravity is so strong that not even light can escape, according to NASA.—
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So strong was the pull that Angus even got on a plane and came to New York City to serenade Elsbeth and end the hour with a kiss.—
Verb
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The Tesla doesn’t have that collaborative aspect and will shut off if the driver jerks the wheel.—
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There are numerous moments where she is lost in a dream or a memory before suddenly jerking awake, often too clearly delineating the boundaries in a film ostensibly about its main character’s delusions.—
Verb
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Then, almost missing the cue, Belushi stepped forward and grabbed the mic stand.—
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The second woman, the grandmother of the 5-year-old girl and mother of the 22-year-old victim, tried to intervene when Phillips grabbed and pushed her, authorities said.—
Noun
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Astronomers discovered 51 Pegasi b by detecting a wobble in its star’s motion caused by the gravitational tug of the orbiting planet—a technique called the Doppler (or radial velocity) method.—
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The 185-foot vessel, known as Yard Derrick 254, was guided into place by tug boats operating near the western tip of Shelter Island.—
Verb
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In the video, the robot hangs suspended from the ceiling as its limbs twitch and kick, marking what the company claims is a step toward its goal of creating household-helper robots.—
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The elephant is now decidedly less friendly, and is doing far more than twitching and grunting.—
Verb
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By the wannabe Yoda’s logic, as successful as a network like NBC was at the time, within a few years, one of its lesser rivals would almost surely mount a miraculous comeback and leave the Peacock looking plucked.—
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The women’s High Rise Flare Stripe Pant feature bold white and orange stripes, plucked from Whataburger’s retro restaurant designs.—
Verb
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Republicans have ripped the idea, saying that a credit of $50 would not have much impact on a family of four that is trying to pay the bills.—
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In early January, several fires ripped through parts of Los Angeles, burning tens of thousands of acres and destroying more than 9,000 buildings, including homes and businesses.—
Verb
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For the 80 people on board the flight from Minneapolis, the world lurched immediately after the wheels hit the ground.—
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Fritz revved the engine, a desperate, needling whine, and the vessel lurched down the airstrip, the chute billowing awake behind him.—
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yank. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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