yank

1 of 3

verb

ˈyaŋk 

yanked; yanking; yanks

intransitive verb

: to pull on something with a quick vigorous movement

transitive verb

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

yank

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a strong sudden pull : jerk

Yank

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈyaŋk 

: yankee

Synonyms

Verb

• buck
• hitch
• hoick
• jerk
• jolt
• twitch

Noun (1)

• draw
• haul
• jerk
• pluck
• pull
• tug
• wrench

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

Verb

If the court doesn’t grant them that injunction, NASCAR is ready to yank those Charters and let the team’s race as open entries. —Greg Engle, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

This noted, what Mother is brilliant at is showing us the rug being yanked from under her feet, again and again, in terse, breathless prose—sometimes girlishly purple, at others brusque with the idioms of the era. —Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Noun

The resulting specs: 434 ponies and 525 lb-ft of yank. —Sean Evans, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024

With tugs and yanks and positive feedback, a planetary makeover began that is rampant today. —Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1822, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1778, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing yank

• pull/yank someone's chain

Kids Definition

yank

1 of 3 noun

ˈyaŋk 

: a strong sudden pull : jerk

yank

2 of 3 verb

: to pull suddenly or forcefully

Yank

3 of 3 noun

ˈyaŋk 

: yankee