yank
verb (used with or without object)
to pull or remove abruptly and vigorously.
yank
1 American
[yangk]
/ yæŋk /
verb (used with or without object)
noun
Yank
2
American
[yangk]
/ yæŋk /
noun
Informal.
Yank
1
British
/ jæŋk /
noun
-
a slang word for an American
-
informal short for Yankee
yank
2
British
/ jæŋk /
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of yank1
First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain
Origin of Yank2
An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; shortened form
Explanation
To yank is to pull or move suddenly and sharply. You might reach for a pan on the stove and then yank your hand away when you realize the handle is hot. Your little sister might yank at your arm to get your attention, while a bully might yank your hair just to be mean. In both cases, they're tugging abruptly, and you can call the pull itself a yank. Don't confuse this noun with the yank that serves as a slightly offensive nickname for Americans, or even more specifically, for New Englanders. Dutch settlers in then New Amsterdam first used this word to insult English colonists in Connecticut.
Vocabulary lists containing yank
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"The Fast and the Fuel-Efficient" and "Teens Open Doors"
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Shiloh
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many of them compel me to yank my hair out, bang my head on the table, or do both simultaneously — if that’s possible.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Griffin, for his part, responded by threatening to yank Citadel from the Park Avenue development project.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
L.A. officials have long expressed concern that Trump and Congress might belatedly yank away $1 billion already set aside to reimburse state and local governments for security, planning and other Olympics-related costs.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
But he doesn’t want to yank the specials prematurely.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
And reaching across me he would yank a wire from its housing or twist a tiny tube from an assembly.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
