yank1
/jaŋk
/informal
verb [with object]
Pull with a jerk: her hair was yanked, and she screamed he yanked her to her feet [no object]: Liz yanked at her arm...
- Two steps and he was at my side, his hand wrapped in my hair, yanking my face up to him.
- He grabbed the back of my head, weaving his fingers in my hair and then yanked my head up.
- As Jimmy reached me, he pulled my hair, yanking my head back as he placed the gun to my neck.
Synonyms
jerk, pull, tug, wrench, heave, haul, drag, tweak, twitch, pluck, snatch, seize, rip, tear, whisk, jolt, force
informal whip
noun [in singular]
A sudden hard pull: one of the other girls gave her ponytail a yank...
- Brion pulled him up with a swift yank and continued to walk as if nothing had happened.
- After yet more threats and a hard yank on the arm she walked out of her cell and was led to the Ceremony Room.
- A sudden yank and that temporary feeling was gone, she was back on the bed in a daze.
Synonyms
jerk, pull, tug, jolt, wrench, heave, tweak, twitch
Origin
Late 18th century (as a Scots word in the sense 'sudden sharp blow'): of unknown origin.
Rhymes
Yank2
/jaŋk/noun informal
1chiefly derogatory An American.The American at home is the opposite of the Yank abroad: helpful, charming and painfully sincere....
- Help Britain keep up with America; as usual, the Yanks got her first after our A & R men refused her a deal.
- It's like the Yanks and the Canadians - not much love lost there.
2US another term for Yankee (sense 2).Wonder what it will be like to have a few of those Yanks here with us....
- The new, US-supported Georgian government has given the green light for the Yanks to stay.
- So the game ends, the Yanks are swept by the Mets and dad tells us that he put a new flag up in front of the house to replace my mother's Yankee flag.