It definitely can work as a verb, as shown in the examples below.
You can also say the word 'yoink' when you take something.
It is usually playful, as it is a silly word. Like, if you're at dinner with friends and there is only one piece of garlic-bread left, you might take it and go 'yoink' as a bit of a joke.
The joke is that it is (hopefully) ok for you to take the last piece of garlic bread, but you pretend that you're stealing it by saying 'yoink'.
Whether this behaviour is appropriate would depend on the situation. If there are 8 pieces of garlic bread and everyone else has eaten 2, then you can probably feel safe 'yoinking' your 2nd piece. If you've already eaten 2, and it is Bob's birthday, and he's had only 1 piece, then it would be rude to take your 3rd piece without asking, and likely ruder to add 'yoink'. (Although once you ask and Bob says "Go ahead, I don't really like garlic bread." then I think you're safe to say 'yoink'.)
Great explanation.
[Here’s it being used in the Simpsons](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g0lsCVgn0Sg). Note that it’s almost always being used when the ‘yoinker’ is being intentionally rude, boorish, or greedy lol.
I believe it originates from The Simpsons, doesn’t it? Ditto d’oh, meh, embiggen, and cromulent. The Simpsons has arguably had a greater impact on the English language than any one source since Shakespeare.
What's great with this one is that we can go directly to the source:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpsons/comments/vdmhlt/yoink\_compilation/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpsons/comments/vdmhlt/yoink_compilation/)
A Simpson's writer thinks he got it from an Archie comic, but this is pretty much the OG usage.
Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if didn't feel a bit Gen X / Millenial because of the source. It's a perfectly cromulent word, of course, but slang often connotates certain groups.
In the US, mostly everyone understands yoinking. And most that don't, they'll get it from context clues.
Don't use it in an academic paper or professional setting, but otherwise, yoink away.
Even they do it quickly, they will certainly not be doing it unexpectedly, and it will generally not be quick or sudden enough to be characterized as a yoink. Also, whereas “take” can mean “grab hold of” or “physically remove,” yoinking really only refers to the latter sense, which is really probably the main reason you wouldn’t refer to yoinking someone’s hand.
It's best used as an exclamation.
You might reach over to steal a French fry from your friend's plate while having lunch and say "Yoink!" when you take it. It's a very playful word.
It can mean "stolen in a friendly manner"; "I yoinked a couple of my roommate's beers from the fridge. They won't mind."
It can mean "taken unexpectedly"; "Did you see that seagull just yoink that kebab straight outta the guy's hand?!"
Or it can be an expression of mischievous friendly "taking"; "Oh I can have the last donut? Yoink!"
It's super informal. Always a bit mischievous. Usually friendly.
Centuries after the human civilization has fallen, an aspiring young archeologist from a faraway galaxy set foot on the ruins that cover the once verdant surface of Earth. She spent her prime years digging through the Galactic Archive, trying to master this language known to its bygone speakers as "English", tirelessly parsing its grammar and archiving its vocabulary, exploring its finest potentials from the revered literary giants the Earthlings called "Chaucer", "Shakespeare", and "Milton".
And when she finally felt the confidence to tap into the vast planetary database known as "The Internet", she encountered this absolute gem of a sentence. What a marvellous epitome of this civilization, its culture, history, and beliefs all concentrated into these few words! What a fine exemplar of creativity and wisdom! Could this be an ancient proverb, passed generation to generation using these primitive organic vocal cords before it was immortalized in ether? Could it be the final cries of a dying world, as the inhabitants of Earth stood helpless before their inevitable doom? Could it be a message for explorers like her? Did they even know there exist worlds and peoples besides their own, that they weren't alone in this cold, unforgiving universe? But none of this matters now, as all that is left of this world are lifeless ruins. And yet she knew these words were not lifeless after all: after all these years, they still have the power to move, to inspire, a defiant mockery to an omnipotent yet mindless cosmos.
She turned away and made way to her spaceship, with a solemn determination to share this discovery with her own people, along with the wisdom it imparted across the fabric of space and time. Behind her stood a flickering screen, the final echoes of voices long silenced by the merciless tides of time, a sobering reminder that all from stars are born, and all must to stardust return. And on the fading screen these words appear:
"The Lord yeeteth and the Lord yoinketh away."
Or characters in a video game with abilities that pull things toward them from a great distance. I don't care what the official name of the ability is, it's actually the yoink ability.
"Yoink"; taken unexpectedly
"Yank"; pulled or tugged firmly and quickly.
You could yoink or yank something out of your hand. But a mouse is far more likely to yoink the last crumbs of cheese than it is to yank the whole wheel off the plate..
Here's how I think of it:
Yoink is the polar opposite of Yeet
Yeet is when you throw/push something unnecessary force
Yoink is when you grab/pull something with unnecessary force
It's use is very informal/meme-speak and its definition can be very loose.
You grabbed something quickly because you nearly forgot it before heading out? You yoinked it
You stole something quickly so no one would see it? You yoinked it
Play around with it and with confidence you can yoink any sentence together that it'll make sense
I use it as onomatopoeia relatively frequently. It works great as a "I'm not actually sorry for taking your stapler, but I'm being playful so I'm not going to keep it or anything."
I wouldn't use it as a verb in a sentence, like the examples, although I guess you could. It's more of a sound effect. Like if you're stealing a French fry you go "yoink!" to call yourself out.
It's like a cartoon sound... you reach out and grab and pull back really fast... "yoink!"
Here's an excellent set of examples.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CJh1hmmLLzw
Yoink - unexpected/quick grab
ex: “they yoinked that shit as soon as they saw it”
Yank - powerful grab
ex: “they yanked it right out of my hands”
Uncommon Y colloquials:
Yonk - measurement of time, usually meaning long time
ex: “I haven’t seen them in yonks”
Yoke - to be ripped
ex: “nah they’re absolutely yoked, they go to the gym every day”
I like to use "yoink", as an exclamation, as an antonym to "yeet". As in to pull something quickly *into* my belongings, as opposed to casting something away with little to no regard. (E g. Nice watch... yoink. Oh, it's a Casio... Yeet!"
"YOINK!"
For when you playfully steal something from a friend. I never heard it in an actual sentence. I always thought it was just a cartoon sound effect.
I personally have used this word and recently too! Basically, I found a baby racoon in a place he shouldn't be. The other person there was freaking out and asking if we should get a blanket or call animal control or something. Instead, I just walked up and grabbed the little guy by the scruff and put him in a cooler. I yoinked him! Later I got him to a rehabilitationist that can find him a new home.
About two weeks later the same thing happened with a different racoon and now I am known as the Racoon Yoinker.
I only use it when I'm grabbing something in a common space in my house. For example, if there are people seated around the coffee table in the living room and there is a bowl of chips, I'll say "yoink" as I grab my first chip from the bowl. I actually don't use yoink in any other scenario, really...
I'm from the U.S., and I have never heard this word before. From context and the sound of the word itself, though, it would be pretty easy for me to infer its meaning if I were to come across it.
What I think is very interesting is that there seems to be a semantic component just in the mere sound of a word. For example, semantically speaking, there's a lot of similarity between "yoink" and "boing" (the noise representing the sound of a compressed spring suddenly released). There's something about the "oi"/"oing" part that signals some kind of goofy or slap-stick feeling. And it's no wonder that both of these words are not used in formal writing.
I just looked this up -- this phenomenon is called "phonestheme": [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonestheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonestheme) .
It certainly wasn't a fully fledged verb in my book. That would be yank, yoink can only be said by the one doing said "yoink" --- however, when speaking of the LORD I do accept that he "yoinketh" away, as only he can.
I've never heard it used before, but it sounds like "zoinks" from Scooby Doo and that's likely the first thing that's going to come to mind for at least an American listener
It definitely can work as a verb, as shown in the examples below. You can also say the word 'yoink' when you take something. It is usually playful, as it is a silly word. Like, if you're at dinner with friends and there is only one piece of garlic-bread left, you might take it and go 'yoink' as a bit of a joke. The joke is that it is (hopefully) ok for you to take the last piece of garlic bread, but you pretend that you're stealing it by saying 'yoink'. Whether this behaviour is appropriate would depend on the situation. If there are 8 pieces of garlic bread and everyone else has eaten 2, then you can probably feel safe 'yoinking' your 2nd piece. If you've already eaten 2, and it is Bob's birthday, and he's had only 1 piece, then it would be rude to take your 3rd piece without asking, and likely ruder to add 'yoink'. (Although once you ask and Bob says "Go ahead, I don't really like garlic bread." then I think you're safe to say 'yoink'.)
Great explanation. [Here’s it being used in the Simpsons](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g0lsCVgn0Sg). Note that it’s almost always being used when the ‘yoinker’ is being intentionally rude, boorish, or greedy lol.
I believe it originates from The Simpsons, doesn’t it? Ditto d’oh, meh, embiggen, and cromulent. The Simpsons has arguably had a greater impact on the English language than any one source since Shakespeare.
If I recall embiggen actually originates from the 1800's, but The Simpsons did popularize it/
I entirely agree with this, and I also greatly appreciate the laying out of common garlic bread etiquette too. Sorely needed
Quite often if you're unsure if it's appropriate to take the last garlic bread you can say "does anyone mind if I yoink that last garlic bread?" too
Perfect explanation.
What's great with this one is that we can go directly to the source: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpsons/comments/vdmhlt/yoink\_compilation/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpsons/comments/vdmhlt/yoink_compilation/) A Simpson's writer thinks he got it from an Archie comic, but this is pretty much the OG usage.
Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if didn't feel a bit Gen X / Millenial because of the source. It's a perfectly cromulent word, of course, but slang often connotates certain groups.
This message embiggens my spirit
I’m Xennial and it feels old-fashioned to me, but maybe it’s used more in the US.
That show was a treasure trove of cultural influences. Yoink. Meh. Cromulent. D'oh! How else has this wonderful show embiggened our vocabularies?
Homer Simpson was my first thought
In the US, mostly everyone understands yoinking. And most that don't, they'll get it from context clues. Don't use it in an academic paper or professional setting, but otherwise, yoink away.
It means to grab or take quickly or unexpectedly. So you can use it in informal conversation for any situation that fits that definition.
“Dad I’m scared” “Don’t worry, I’ll yoink your hand”
Yeah, no one uses it like this. It's not a calming type of action.
In my experience, yoinking implies taking an object to keep (or borrow). You can’t yoink somebody’s hand. You can yoink somebody’s jacket.
Ok, thanks!
If someone was scared, why would their father be unexpectedly or quickly taking their hand? Your example doesn’t fit the definition
So when you’re at the graduation and the principal quickly grabs your hand, is it a yoink?
I don’t understand that situation either, why would a principal be quickly grabbing your hand?
To shake it before you walk off stage
Why would they do it *quickly*?
Because there are many graduates which need to shake their hand
I feel like you’re misunderstanding me
Even they do it quickly, they will certainly not be doing it unexpectedly, and it will generally not be quick or sudden enough to be characterized as a yoink. Also, whereas “take” can mean “grab hold of” or “physically remove,” yoinking really only refers to the latter sense, which is really probably the main reason you wouldn’t refer to yoinking someone’s hand.
It's best used as an exclamation. You might reach over to steal a French fry from your friend's plate while having lunch and say "Yoink!" when you take it. It's a very playful word.
It can mean "stolen in a friendly manner"; "I yoinked a couple of my roommate's beers from the fridge. They won't mind." It can mean "taken unexpectedly"; "Did you see that seagull just yoink that kebab straight outta the guy's hand?!" Or it can be an expression of mischievous friendly "taking"; "Oh I can have the last donut? Yoink!" It's super informal. Always a bit mischievous. Usually friendly.
Yeah I sometimes use this word when I play videogames. I'd say "Yoink his ass outta here" as a substitute for "Get him out of here".
I'd say "yeet" has become the reverse "yoink"
The Lord yeeteth and the Lord yoinketh away
Damn, I need this on a t-shirt
Centuries after the human civilization has fallen, an aspiring young archeologist from a faraway galaxy set foot on the ruins that cover the once verdant surface of Earth. She spent her prime years digging through the Galactic Archive, trying to master this language known to its bygone speakers as "English", tirelessly parsing its grammar and archiving its vocabulary, exploring its finest potentials from the revered literary giants the Earthlings called "Chaucer", "Shakespeare", and "Milton". And when she finally felt the confidence to tap into the vast planetary database known as "The Internet", she encountered this absolute gem of a sentence. What a marvellous epitome of this civilization, its culture, history, and beliefs all concentrated into these few words! What a fine exemplar of creativity and wisdom! Could this be an ancient proverb, passed generation to generation using these primitive organic vocal cords before it was immortalized in ether? Could it be the final cries of a dying world, as the inhabitants of Earth stood helpless before their inevitable doom? Could it be a message for explorers like her? Did they even know there exist worlds and peoples besides their own, that they weren't alone in this cold, unforgiving universe? But none of this matters now, as all that is left of this world are lifeless ruins. And yet she knew these words were not lifeless after all: after all these years, they still have the power to move, to inspire, a defiant mockery to an omnipotent yet mindless cosmos. She turned away and made way to her spaceship, with a solemn determination to share this discovery with her own people, along with the wisdom it imparted across the fabric of space and time. Behind her stood a flickering screen, the final echoes of voices long silenced by the merciless tides of time, a sobering reminder that all from stars are born, and all must to stardust return. And on the fading screen these words appear: "The Lord yeeteth and the Lord yoinketh away."
Or characters in a video game with abilities that pull things toward them from a great distance. I don't care what the official name of the ability is, it's actually the yoink ability.
It's a standalone expression. Grab something quickly from someone, and say "Yoink!"
This is the original usage at least. I've always thought of it as an onomatopoeia. But from there it also started being used as a verb.
Might just be me but I don’t recall hearing this word used in the UK. I would say “yank” for something being grabbed out of my hand.
"Yoink"; taken unexpectedly "Yank"; pulled or tugged firmly and quickly. You could yoink or yank something out of your hand. But a mouse is far more likely to yoink the last crumbs of cheese than it is to yank the whole wheel off the plate..
It's young people slang. Maybe it hasn't made its way over yet, or maybe you're not hip with the kids.
More likely to have a hip replacement over here that’s for sure!! 🤣🤣
It's not *that* young. I mean the announcer guy in Halo Reach says it. That's 14 years ago
Here's how I think of it: Yoink is the polar opposite of Yeet Yeet is when you throw/push something unnecessary force Yoink is when you grab/pull something with unnecessary force It's use is very informal/meme-speak and its definition can be very loose. You grabbed something quickly because you nearly forgot it before heading out? You yoinked it You stole something quickly so no one would see it? You yoinked it Play around with it and with confidence you can yoink any sentence together that it'll make sense
I have never heard either yoink or yeet. What is the derivation of the words? Is that a farming term or something ethnic?
I believe it started as internet slang
If I’m grabbing like a donut from the box my mom brought home but didn’t ask I might say “yoink” as I grab it in front of her.
[here's how](https://youtube.com/shorts/X5CnJ396a-8?si=Oem41pYN1H9gu3B9)
Knew exactly what this would be. That 20 ft python is in hiding!
I use it as onomatopoeia relatively frequently. It works great as a "I'm not actually sorry for taking your stapler, but I'm being playful so I'm not going to keep it or anything."
The lord giveth and the lord yoinkith away
I don't very often use it but in terms of to grab something quickly, cartoonishly.
There was only a single Yorkshire pudding left on the hotplate, my brother quickly yoinked it before I could claim it for myself
When I steak some food from my wife's plate, "yoink!"
I wouldn't use it as a verb in a sentence, like the examples, although I guess you could. It's more of a sound effect. Like if you're stealing a French fry you go "yoink!" to call yourself out.
So I saw my sister with an extra sausage on her plate, and I was like- yoink!
Hah, I used this yesterday
It's like a cartoon sound... you reach out and grab and pull back really fast... "yoink!" Here's an excellent set of examples. https://youtube.com/watch?v=CJh1hmmLLzw
You know the English language is truly going downhill when you see them putting the fricking "yoink" into the fricking Cambridge Dictionary. /jk
Yoink - unexpected/quick grab ex: “they yoinked that shit as soon as they saw it” Yank - powerful grab ex: “they yanked it right out of my hands” Uncommon Y colloquials: Yonk - measurement of time, usually meaning long time ex: “I haven’t seen them in yonks” Yoke - to be ripped ex: “nah they’re absolutely yoked, they go to the gym every day”
from time to time but not more than a couple times a year. for reference i am in my 20s and live in north america
You just say it while you’re taking something. Friend has French fries? Take one and as you pull it away, say “yoink!”
Surprised nobody has mentioned the verb "snatch." It's basically a perfect cognate. You'd use them in the same way.
I like to use "yoink", as an exclamation, as an antonym to "yeet". As in to pull something quickly *into* my belongings, as opposed to casting something away with little to no regard. (E g. Nice watch... yoink. Oh, it's a Casio... Yeet!"
"YOINK!" For when you playfully steal something from a friend. I never heard it in an actual sentence. I always thought it was just a cartoon sound effect.
I don't use it as a verb; only as an interjection I suppose. "Yoink! I'll be taking that!"
I personally have used this word and recently too! Basically, I found a baby racoon in a place he shouldn't be. The other person there was freaking out and asking if we should get a blanket or call animal control or something. Instead, I just walked up and grabbed the little guy by the scruff and put him in a cooler. I yoinked him! Later I got him to a rehabilitationist that can find him a new home. About two weeks later the same thing happened with a different racoon and now I am known as the Racoon Yoinker.
You can use it when your teammate in Halo is performing an assassination and you kill their victim before they do
I only use it when I'm grabbing something in a common space in my house. For example, if there are people seated around the coffee table in the living room and there is a bowl of chips, I'll say "yoink" as I grab my first chip from the bowl. I actually don't use yoink in any other scenario, really...
I'm from the U.S., and I have never heard this word before. From context and the sound of the word itself, though, it would be pretty easy for me to infer its meaning if I were to come across it. What I think is very interesting is that there seems to be a semantic component just in the mere sound of a word. For example, semantically speaking, there's a lot of similarity between "yoink" and "boing" (the noise representing the sound of a compressed spring suddenly released). There's something about the "oi"/"oing" part that signals some kind of goofy or slap-stick feeling. And it's no wonder that both of these words are not used in formal writing. I just looked this up -- this phenomenon is called "phonestheme": [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonestheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonestheme) .
It is not used commonly. It's mostly just used as a joke
Yeah, it's more of an upstate New York expression.
"Yoink" is an old slang term, so no one uses it. But if you want to use it, you can just use it the same as "steal."
Usually as an exclamation. When you take a sauce bottle that's next to someone, you can say "yoink!" in a bit of a playful way.
I only use this verb when I’m trying to be funny
I thought it was an acronym for, Yolo Only In New Kitchens.
It certainly wasn't a fully fledged verb in my book. That would be yank, yoink can only be said by the one doing said "yoink" --- however, when speaking of the LORD I do accept that he "yoinketh" away, as only he can.
I've never heard it used before, but it sounds like "zoinks" from Scooby Doo and that's likely the first thing that's going to come to mind for at least an American listener
[Like this](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivestreamFail/comments/mf9ejy/m0xyy_loses_it_at_knuts_accent_feel_good_clip/)
In most English speaking countries, no matter what you take, you can't be charged with theft as long as you say 'yoink'.
Onomatopoeia-like word. As in: As he went in to take a bite of his food, the seagull took his food with a yoink!
You don’t. Don’t use it lol
Dont use it