yank (redirected from yanked)

yank someone or something apart 

1. to pull, tear, or rip someone or something to pieces. Please don't yank the book apart! He yanked apart the book! He threatened to yank his opponent apart.

2. to separate people or things. The teacher yanked them apart. The teacher yanked apart the fighting boys.

See also: apart

yank someone or something around

to pull or jerk someone or something around. Don't yank Billy around so. You'll hurt him! Please don't yank the chairs around. Move them carefully.

See also: around

yank someone or something away (from someone or something)

to jerk someone or something away from someone or something. He yanked his hand away from the fire. Please yank away that rug from the fire before it gets burned.

See also: away

yank someone or something into something and yank someone or something

to jerk or pull someone or something into something. Mary yanked Sally into the car and sped off. She yanked in the anchor rope and we rowed away.

yank someone or something off (of) something and yank someone or something off

to jerk someone or something off something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) She yanked the coffeepot off the counter and ran upstairs. She yanked off the box lid.

yank someone or something out of something and yank someone or something out

to pull or jerk someone or something out of something. Sam yanked the turnips out of the ground one by one. He yanked out the best of the young carrots from the rich soil.

See also: out

yank someone's chain

Sl. to harass someone; to give someone a hard time. (As if one were a dog wearing a choker collar, on a leash.) Stop yanking my chain! Do you really think you can just yank my chain whenever you want?

See also: chain

yank someone around

Sl. to harass someone; to give someone a hard time. Listen, I don't mean to yank you around all the time, but we have to have the drawings by Monday. Please stop yanking me around.

See also: around

yank something off

to pull or jerk off something, such as a piece of clothing. She yanked her jacket off. She yanked off her jacket and threw it on the chair.

yank something up

to pull or jerk something up. He yanked his pants up. He yanked up his pants and threw on his shirt.

See also: up

yank at someone or something

to pull or tug at someone or something. Please don't yank at the drapery cord. Stop yanking at me!

yank on something

to pull or tug on something. Don't yank on my hair! Yank on this rope to send a signal to the worker on the floor above.

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pull/yank somebody's chain  (American & Australian informal)

to say or do something that upsets another person, especially because you enjoy upsetting them Boy, she really knows how to pull your chain!

See also: chain, pull

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yank somebody's chain also pull somebody's chain

to upset someone She knows that playing that music really yanks my chain.

Related vocabulary: push somebody's buttons

See also: chain