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
Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024
Monique Worrell, the Orange-Osceola state attorney who was controversially removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, is running to return to the position the Republican governor yanked her from last year.
—Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel, 23 July 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 
Verb
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education – an accreditor responsible for ensuring that colleges in its purview are operating above board – yanked both schools’ accreditation statuses around the time of their respective closures.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024
Monique Worrell, the Orange-Osceola state attorney who was controversially removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, is running to return to the position the Republican governor yanked her from last year.
—Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel, 23 July 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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near yank
Cite this Entry
“Yank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yank. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
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