yank
verb (used with or without object)
to pull or remove abruptly and vigorously.
yanks
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.
They’re about to kiss when her best friend yanks her away to go somewhere else, so she taps her number into Owen’s phone and dashes off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
More formally known as judicial dissolution, the corporate death penalty basically happens when the government is so pissed off by the corruption or damage a corporation causes that it yanks away their charter.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Unfazed by the crashing waves, 72-year-old Wu Feng-chiao yanks fistfuls of brownish-purple seaweed she will process into jelly, one of the last women in Taiwan keeping the marine harvest tradition alive.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
"As soon as I get his harness out, he yanks, which he doesn't normally, but he gets quite excited because he knows he is going in the sidecar," he continued.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
He tosses the Kleenex ball into the trash, then yanks out another stack, wads those up, and slam-dunks those into the basket with the others.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
