/ jæŋk; NAmE / verb
[usually + adv. / prep. ] ( informal ) to pull sth/sb hard, quickly and suddenly :
[ vn ]
He yanked her to her feet.
[ vn - adj ]
I yanked the door open.
[ v ]
Liz yanked at my arm.
► yank noun :
She gave the rope a yank.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent. (as a Scots word in the sense sudden sharp blow ): of unknown origin.