as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
had to give the shoe a good yank to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in jerks
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pulls
to draw out by force or with effort
yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grabs
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
grab the other one, and let's see if we can't yank these two grocery carriages apart
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of yanks
Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Leaphorn yanks the jug his way (despite being cuffed) and is able to put the filter packet down his pants.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
According to the footage, Falcinelli then moves toward the officer before the officer yanks him by the arm.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Behind Jovan, the posse breaks into boardinghouses, yanks a miner from behind a grocery counter, shoots another dead in his home.
—Masha Hamilton, Longreads, 19 Feb. 2026
Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for some fun in the sun, a minor encounter with local bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of an unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone), who is determined to derail his relaxation.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Charlotte pops by to drop off stuffing, and Carrie yanks her aside, accusing her of setting her up with Mark.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Maden takes thee wine bottle from him and the officers reach for his wrists but Brown resists and yanks his arms back, the video shows.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Leaphorn yanks the jug his way (despite being cuffed) and is able to put the filter packet down his pants.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
According to the footage, Falcinelli then moves toward the officer before the officer yanks him by the arm.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Behind Jovan, the posse breaks into boardinghouses, yanks a miner from behind a grocery counter, shoots another dead in his home.
—Masha Hamilton, Longreads, 19 Feb. 2026
Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for some fun in the sun, a minor encounter with local bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of an unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone), who is determined to derail his relaxation.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Charlotte pops by to drop off stuffing, and Carrie yanks her aside, accusing her of setting her up with Mark.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanks
Noun
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The ships represented by red shapes are tankers, while green shapes represent cargo ships and light blue ones are tugs, service or military vessels.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In space, the gravitational tugs from passing planets act like those currents.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This month pulls you inward before launching you into a whole new era.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
Stars actually stay here, and the on-site cocktail spot Gemma pulls them down for drinks.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways The skating is what grabs you first.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
This evergreen, perennial vine grabs the attention of those looking for an ornamental groundcover.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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There are swooping close encounters with heavenly bodies, Lego blocks in antigravity mode and swarms of Separators, a sort of astro-anthropomorphic version of the tool that pries apart Lego bricks in real life.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
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The show’s biggest laugh may come when Testa pries open Costanzo’s mouth and pronounces just how many performances of Norma Galas has left.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Drink, drugs and sometimes tears.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Inheritance often tears families apart and much of that conflict is rooted in poor communication.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Republicans’ hopes of holding on to their slim majorities in the House and Senate may well hinge on the cost at the pump as the war against Iran lurches into its second week.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Mar. 2026
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But Wembanyama is on the short list of MVP favorites as the league lurches toward the playoffs, a list that includes former NBA champions Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of OKC, Denver’s Nikola Jokic along with Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles’ Luka Doncic.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanks. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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