yank

See also: Yank and þank

English

Etymology 1

Attested since 1822; from Scots yank. Unknown origin.

Pronunciation

• enPR: yăngk, IPA^(key): /jæŋk/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋk

Noun

yank (plural yanks)

1. A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force).

   He unjammed the rope with a short yank.

2. (slang) A masturbation session.
   • 2012, Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon, Serious Play, page 81:

     He rested his hand on his bare chest, an innocent enough spot, but soon it drifted of its own accord down his stomach to slide beneath the waistband of his briefs. Fine. A quick yank would relieve the sexual tension that simmered in him.

4. (slang, MLE) alternative form of shank (“stabbing weapon”)
   • 2024 September 7, “Movie Star” (0:57 from the start), #ALG Grimzo x Alsz Gambino (lyrics):

     Tell my young bad, she can vouch for me
     I was only thirteen with a yank on me

Synonyms

• (sudden, vigorous pull): jerk, tug
• (slang): fap

Translations

A sudden, vigorous pull

• Bulgarian: рязко дръпване n (rjazko drǎpvane)
• Catalan: estrebada (ca) f
• Finnish: vetäisy (fi), kiskaisu (fi), riuhtaisu (fi)
• French: coup sec m
• Georgian: ნახტომი (naxṭomi)
• German: Ruck (de) m
• Greek: απότομο τράβηγμα n (apótomo trávigma)
• Persian: کشش ناگهانی
• Portuguese: puxão (pt)
• Russian: рыво́к (ru) m (ryvók), дёрганье (ru) n (djórganʹje)
• Spanish: tirón (es) m
• Swedish: ryck (sv) n

Verb

yank (third-person singular simple present yanks, present participle yanking, simple past and past participle yanked)

1. (transitive) To pull (something) with a quick, strong action.
   • 2015 December, Elizabeth Royte, “Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them.”, in National Geographic‎^[1], archived from the original on 13 December 2015:

     Now a white-backed rams its head down the wildebeest’s throat and yanks out an eight-inch length of trachea, ribbed like a vacuum hose.

   • 2016 October, Scott Dadich, quoting Barack Obama, “Barack Obama Talks AI, Robo Cars, and the Future of the World”, in Wired‎^[2], →ISSN:

     [Regarding risks of AI] And you just have to have somebody close to the power cord. [Laughs.]^[sic] Right when you see it about to happen, you gotta yank that electricity out of the wall, man.

2. (transitive, informal) To remove from distribution.

   They yanked the product as soon as they learned it was unsafe.

Synonyms

• (pull with a quick strong action): jerk, tug
• (remove from circulation): pull, recall

Derived terms

• rank and yank
• yank around
• yanker
• yank off
• yank someone's chain

 

Translations

to pull something with a quick, strong action

• Azerbaijani: dartmaq (az)
• Bulgarian: дръпвам силно (drǎpvam silno)
• Dutch: rukken (nl), een ruk geven, sjorren (nl)
• Finnish: vetäistä, kiskaista (fi), riuhtoa, riuhtaista
• French: tirer d’un coup sec
• German: mit einem kurzem Ruck reißen, mit einem kurzem Ruck ziehen, mit einem kurzem Ruck zerren
• Hungarian: ránt (hu), kiránt (hu), (presenting it) előránt (hu), előkap (hu)
• Italian: strappar via
• Japanese: 引っ張る (ja) (hipparu)
• Maori: haukume
• Romanian: înșfăca (ro)
• Russian: дёргать (ru) (djórgatʹ), вырыва́ть (ru) (vyryvátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: slaod, tarraing
• Spanish: tirar de (es), dar un tirón, tironear (es)
• Ukrainian: сми́кати impf (smýkaty), сми́кнути pf (smýknuty)

to remove from distribution

• Bulgarian: изтеглям (bg) (iztegljam)
• Finnish: vetää pois markkinoilta
• French: retirer (fr)
• German: aus dem Verkehr ziehen
• Hungarian: visszavon (hu), bevon (hu), megszüntet (hu), töröl (hu)
• Spanish: retirar (es)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “yank”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Etymology 2

Noun

yank (plural yanks)

1. (often derogatory) Alternative letter-case form of Yank (“Yankee”).

Scots

Etymology

Unknown; likely imitative. Compare whang (“a blow”).

Noun

yank (plural yanks)

1. a sudden tug, a jerk, a yank
2. a blow, a slap
   • 1833, James Hogg, The Brownie of Bodsbeck‎^[3], page 51:

     I took up my neive an’ gae him a yank on the haffat till I gart his bit brass cap rattle against the wa’.

     I raised my fist and gave him a blow on the temple that made his little brass cap rattle against the wall.

Verb

yank (third-person singular simple present yanks, present participle yankin, simple past yankt, past participle yankt)

1. to jerk, to pull suddenly
2. to move quickly or in a lively manner