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Glite Dictionary
to yank the door open

to yank the door open

1 4.6
Pull a door quickly and hard to open it
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : tirar de la puerta
  • Cameron yanks the door open.

Examples

  • Suddenly, he yanked the door open.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • With all his might, Steve yanks the door open.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Chris yanks the door open in time to hear...

    Fiction book (2002)

  • At last, Wendy managed to yank the door open.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • How did Oswald yank the door open?

    Fiction book (1999)

  • A youngish fellow with long, dirty hair yanked the door open.

    Academic text (2010)

  • She sat up quickly and yanked the door open.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Sam's face turns sour as he yanks the door open.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • She grasped the doorknob with her free hand, turned it, and yanked the door open.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • With all his strength, Steve yanked the door open to let the cool breeze in.

Synonyms

to yank
vsto yank the door open
196 4.1

To pull something suddenly and hard

is the same sudden strong pull applied specifically to a door
to pry
vsto yank the door open
76 4.4

Use force with a tool to open or move something that is stuck

is a direct forceful hand pull not necessarily needing a tool
to tug
vsto yank the door open
56 1.0

To pull something hard, often in a quick way

is a single sudden hard pull aimed at opening a door
to kick in
vsto yank the door open
38 4.1

Force a door or gate open by hitting it hard with your foot

is a hand action delivering a sudden strong pull to open
to wrench
vsto yank the door open
33 4.2

To twist or pull something hard to remove it

uses straight strong pull rather than a strong twist to open
to kick down
vsto yank the door open
14 5.5

Force open a door or gate by hitting it with your foot

uses a forceful hand pull rather than a foot kick to open
to break open
vsto yank the door open
13 2.1

To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar

describes a forceful hand pull to open rather than breaking it
to jimmy
vsto yank the door open
8 8.6

To force open a door or window with a small metal bar

describes forceful hand pulling to open legally or normally
to prize
vsto yank the door open
7 9.1

To force something open with a tool like a crowbar

uses bare strong pulling by hand rather than tool assisted force
to lever
vsto yank the door open
3 4.9

To move something by using a long bar to lift it

describes manual strong pulling without using a long bar or tool
to swing wide
vsto yank the door open
1 3.9

Open a door or gate fully by moving it on its hinges

focuses on the initial forceful pull to make the door open
to bang down the door
vsto yank the door open
1 7.1

Force a door open by hitting it hard

relies on a quick hard pull to open rather than striking

Antonyms

to shut
∞ 1.0

To close something so it is not open

How Forceful

to yank the door open
  • Informal
1 4.6
to ease
119 2.4

Surface Forms

yank the door open infinitive
yanked the door open past
yanked the door open past participle
yanking the door open present participle
yanks the door open third person singular

Morphology

yank + the + door + open

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'yank' (to pull forcefully) applied to 'door' with the resultative 'open' indicates pulling the door forcefully so that it becomes open. This is a straightforward, compositional resultative construction common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the words should understand it.

Etymology

The phrase yank the door open comes from a simple image of someone giving a strong pull, a yank, to force a door to open. So it now means 'to pull a door hard to open it'.