to yank
- verb
- /jæŋk/
- He yanked the door open with all his strength.
- yank back
- get yanked
The amount of money they'll yank from stocks could be profound.
- The amount of money they'll yank from stocks could be profound.
- It is unacceptable to yank a weapon out of a cop's belt.
- My great, great, great, great, great grandfather's been yanking this stuff out for years.
- He seems nervous that his handlers might yank his choke collar if he rattles on.
- Actually, if the cows could talk, I'm guessing they'd say, stop yanking on my nipples.
- So who's to say that Hillary's not going to get yanked hard to the left?
- You know, you can pull your own strings without yanking them.
- I mean, inflation played a role, but it shouldn't be yanked out of the context of everything else.
- But pull the outside plant, just yank it right out, pulling outwards, not up, but out.
- You have to be able to find a glance at it that doesn't just yank your heart out of your chest.
Examples
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I yanked Bobby into my office for a sit-down.
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Several hungry beaks break through and grab him, yanking him headfirst into the embankment.
Fiction book (1990) -
And you you yank it down.
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And you you yank it back.
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Just yank it up there.
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Yeah, yeah, yank this starter off real quick.
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Yank once for the warning, twice when it's clear.
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Before I knew it, he yanks me out of the car.
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But if this baby doesn't come soon, I'm gonna have to reach in and yank it out myself.
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Aunt Lucette got her comb out of her purse and began yanking it through her hair.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
To move something toward you using force, often to remove it
To take something out of a place, often with effort
To take something quickly with your hand
To pull something away quickly and roughly
To pull something out quickly with the fingers
To pull something out quickly and with force, often to remove it completely
To pull something hard, often in a quick way
To take something off from where it is attached
To twist or pull something hard to remove it
To pull something off quickly until it rips
Pull things away one at a time
To pull something off quickly with force
To pull or lift something suddenly with a lot of force
Pull something away suddenly with great force
Antonyms
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word yank probably comes from an old local English word meaning 'a quick, sharp pull' or from the short sound people make when they pull something suddenly. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine shouting 'yank!' as you give a sudden pull, which is why yank means a fast, forceful pull today.