EN

Synonyms for yank

11 synonyms
3 meanings

verb
noun

Most common

twitch snatch pull tug

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Jerk — to masturbate

jerk, snatch, twitch, pluck, wank slang UK IE

2. Pull

pull, tug, draw

Noun

1. Yankee

yankee, northerner

Other

Definitions

v. 1
To masturbate.
v. 2
To pull (something) with a quick, strong action.
n. 1
A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force).
He unjammed the rope with a short yank.

Related words

Word family: yanker
Phrases: yank someone's chain yank around

Forms

Plural: yanks → yankees, northerners, faps…
Past participle: yanked
e.g. yanked → jerked, snatched, twitched, plucked…

Example sentences

twitch He began to twitch uncontrollably as I called 911.
snatch Boldi tried to snatch the toy out of Martha's hands.
pull We need a new leader to pull our company together.
tug How do you train a dog not to tug on its leash?

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
yank		rising
twitch		rising
snatch		rising
pull		rising
tug		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: tug¹, fap
4 letters: pull¹, draw¹, jerk¹, wank¹
5 letters: pluck¹
6 letters: twitch¹, yankee², snatch¹
10 letters: northerner³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (yankee² = 2 syllables).