yank
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
yank¹
- /ˈjæŋk/
- [ˈjæŋk]
- /ˈjeɪ̯ŋk/ Canada, US
- [ˈjeɪ̯ŋk] Canada, US
- /ˈjɛ̃ŋk/ Canada, US
- [ˈjɛ̃ŋk] Canada, US
Rhymes with -æŋk
Where it comes from
Attested since 1822; from Scots yank. Unknown origin.
noun yanks
- A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force). He unjammed the rope with a short yank.
-
An act of masturbation.
He rested his hand on his bare chest, an innocent enough spot, but soon it drifted of its own accord down his stomach to slide beneath the waistband of his briefs. Fine. A quick yank would relieve the sexual tension that simmered in him.
Similar: fap, wank, beat one's meat, celebrating Palm Sunday, choking the chicken, ham shank, hand shandy, Hand Solo, ipsation, jacking off, jerking off, lone rangering
- Alternative form of shank (“stabbing weapon”). Tell my young bad, she can vouch for me I was only thirteen with a yank on me
- The rate of change in force with respect to time.
verb yanks · yanking · yanked
- To pull (something) with a quick, strong action. Now a white-backed rams its head down the wildebeest’s throat and yanks out an eight-inch length of trachea, ribbed like a vacuum hose.
-
To remove; to recall or revoke.
They yanked the product as soon as they learned it was unsafe.
Similar: pull
-
To masturbate.
In the dark protection of the auditorium and his Baltimore cape, with two coiled females only inches beneath his feet, completely in his power and ignorant of the invisible force that held them captive, only this shadow knew, the True Dildough, with great pleasure and tremendous gutsy motions, yanke
Similar: abuse, bash one out, bate, beat it, beat off, crank one out, fap, frig, goon, jack off, jack it, jerk
yank²
noun yanks
- Alternative letter-case form of Yank (“Yankee”).
Yank³
- /jæŋk/
- /jeɪ̯ŋk/
- /jɛ̃ŋk/
Rhymes with -æŋk
Where it comes from
Clipping of Yankee.
noun Yanks
-
A native or inhabitant of the northern United States.
Halt! come down there, you Yanks, come down!
Similar: Northerner, northerner
-
A native or inhabitant of New England.
Similar: Northerner, northerner, New Englander
-
Someone on the Union side.
Similar: Northerner, northerner
-
A native or inhabitant of the United States.
The smart and inventive turn of the modern Yank has made him a specialist in ingenious devices, straight or crooked. Unpickable locks and invincible lock-pickers, burglar-proof safes and safe-specializing burglars, come equally from the States.
Similar: American, US American, Statesider, Americunt, Ameritard, Seppo, septic, United Statesian, United Statian, Usanian, USian, US-ian
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: jerk, northerner, yankee, new englander, tug, pull, tear, remove, shoot, rip, buddy, fire, americano, american, northeasterner, rican
Translations
Every language
noun A sudden, vigorous pull
| Español | tirón |
|---|---|
| Português | puxão |
| Français | coup sec |
| Deutsch | Ruck |
| Italiano | strattone |
| Ελληνικά | απότομο τράβηγμα apótomo trávigma |
| Русский | рыво́к ryvók, дёрганье djórganʹje |
verb to pull something with a quick, strong action
| Español | tirar de, dar un tirón, tironear |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 引っ張る hipparu |
| Français | tirer d'un coup sec |
| Deutsch | mit einem kurzem Ruck reißen, mit einem kurzem Ruck ziehen, mit einem kurzem Ruck zerren |
| Italiano | strappar via |
| Română | înșfăca |
| Русский | дёргать djórgatʹ, вырыва́ть vyryvátʹ |
verb to remove from distribution
| Español | retirar |
|---|---|
| Français | retirer |
| Deutsch | aus dem Verkehr ziehen |
noun native of the Northern USA — see also Yankee
| Français | Yankee |
|---|
Talk about this word "yank." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/yank. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. yank. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/yank "yank." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/yank.Cite this
@misc{yank_2026,
title = {yank},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/yank},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
