yoink

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɔɪŋk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪŋk

Etymology 1

1954. Onomatopoeic.

Verb

yoink (third-person singular simple present yoinks, present participle yoinking, simple past and past participle yoinked)

1. (onomatopoeia) To make an oinking sound.
   • 1956, H. Minar Shoebotham, Anaconda: Life of Marcus Daly, the Copper King, Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole, p 2:

     Outside in the fog and the damp and cool air, common to County Cavan, he strode briskly along the road and when he arrived Cummings was already out and busy and the pigs—a big drove of them—were yoinking for their feed.

2. (colloquial) To hop or bounce.
   • 2013, Phil Ford, Dig: Sound and Music in Hip Culture, →ISBN, page 62:

     Carl Solomon yoinking around so frenziedly on a pogo stick that one night he put the end of it right through the floor into the restaurant below -- and all their girls, and their friends' girls, and their friends' friends, and even nameless others who may have just heard the hubbub and walkin in the door.

3. nonce word for an action that impacts on something, especially if it is sudden.
   • 2009, PC Gamer - Volume 16, Issues 1-3:

     ...you're yoinked right back to the last spawn point.

   • 2012, Chris Bunch, Star Risk, LTD., →ISBN:

     All of the clout is upstairs, yoinking around with meetings and that.

   • 2017, JoAnna Novak, I Must Have You: A Novel, →ISBN:

     Por supuesto, Ethan Suva yoinked the silence.

4. (slang) To kill.
   • 2013, Aaron Garrison, Synchronicity: One Man's Experience, →ISBN, page 123:

     I'll be going along, doing my starving-writer thing, free from the shackles of 'The Tube'; and, suddenly, my inspiration will die. Just gone, yoinked like a plug.

   • 2016, Thom Carnell, Moonlight Serenades:

     "By all indications, the closet was just where the killah left her." He flipped through his notebook and then back, verifying his info. Good cop, Bubo thought. Thorough. "Yup," he said, tapping the page. “By all indications, it looks like she got herself yoinked someplace else.”

   • 2017, Jason Christian, Aaron Gabel, Rohg to the System, →ISBN:

     “DanU? You shittin me?” His eyes got big. He yoinked My Pal Roofie.

Noun

yoink (plural yoinks)

1. (slang) An ordinary person with nothing to recommend them.
   • 1969, Bernard Augustine De Voto, Saturday Review - Volume 52, page 49:

     Yessir, we need you Yoinks. You're all we have, you are.

   • 1999 March 28, Robert Mulroy, “You are all a bunch of yoinks who insult Budda!”, in alt.buddha.short.fat.guy (Usenet):

     You are all a bunch of yoinks who insult Budda!

   • 1999 November 11, Don James, “WHITE LIGHT”, in alt.zen (Usenet):

     The fact that these mentating yoinks don't know what it it, or worse, refuse to even acknowledge its existence pegs their state of awareness.

   • 2012, Chris Bunch, Storm Force: Book Three of the Last Legion Series, →ISBN:

     “What a bunch of yoinks we are, indeed,” Garvin said.

Interjection

yoink

1. (colloquial) Used for emphasis or to express that one is impressed.
   • 2005, Adam Harris, A Single Southerner Across America, →ISBN, pages 16–17:

     Back in a pool game, Lindsey comes by between shots and leans over my shoulder and whispers, "Don't look now, but that blonde girl is checking you out." YOINK!

   • 2009 May 5, Dias Leonardo, “yoink!”, in politics.r.us (Usenet):

     yoink! The US will never close the border to Mexico. Politicians here don't have the political will to do such thing.

   • 2016, Richard Sapir, Warren Murphy, The Wrong Stuff, →ISBN:

     “What do you mean, don't kill me?” Major Healy said, sneering. “In case you didn't notice, I'm the one with the weapon.” “Oh, yeah,” Remo said. “Yoink.”

Etymology 2

Coined by writer George Meyer for the TV show The Simpsons; perhaps from yank, or imitative of the sound effect (a quick upward slide on a violin) that accompanies something being snatched in classic comedies.

Interjection

yoink

1. (colloquial) Onomatopoeic, accompanying or describing a yank, swipe, or snatch.
   • 1993, “Duffless”, episode of the Simpsons [television]:

     Marge: But you look better, you don't sweat when you eat any more, and look – [holds up a wad of cash] You've saved more than a hundred dollars. I found it in your pants.

     Homer: [snatches money] Yoink!

   • 2012, John Sazaklis, Candy Store Caper, →ISBN, page 24:

     Yoink! He snatched Granny Glee's frilly pink hat with his little feet.

   • 2014, G. T. Almasi, Hammer of Angels: A Novel of Shadowstorm, →ISBN:

     The way I've always done this stunt is to grab my partner and jump us over together. It's absolute hell on my knees. I lean toward Brando and raise my eyebrows. “Yoink.” “Definite yoink,” he replies, equally inspired.

   • 2015, Marty McKnight, Jim Nasium Is a Hockey Hazard, →ISBN, page 42:

     YOINK! Coach Pittman snatched the puck out of midair.

   • 2021 (November 13) "Olivia & Yunan" (Amphibia s3e7b) Yunan grabbing a crossbow

     Ooh, ominous. After you, milady. Yoink!

Verb

yoink (third-person singular simple present yoinks, present participle yoinking, simple past and past participle yoinked)

1. (colloquial) To yank or snatch.
   • 2010, Sandy Burgess Livermore, Stealing Home, →ISBN:

     I'm sure that there is pinching, punching, eye gouging, yoinking, hair pulling and who knows what else underneath where eyes can't follow, but he comes out and hands the referee the ball and hits the line again.

   • 2012, Geordan Murphy, The Outsider, →ISBN:

     The first time he yoinked at my arm all three of us–me, doctor and bed –flew across the room.

   • 2013, Eric Flint, Ryk E. Spoor, Portal, →ISBN:

     That was the stress that yoinked the whole support gantry down— like trying to stop a medium-sized car with one pull.”

   • 2017, Teddy Steinkellner, Two Roads from Here, →ISBN, page 109:

     "Hey!" some AV kid said when I snuck up behind him and yoinked a microphone from his cart.

2. (colloquial) To steal.
   • 2002, Let's Go Inc., Let's Go 2003: Britain & Ireland, page 111:

     At the far end of the Shrine stands the Coronation Chair, built for Edward I; the shelf below the seat was made to house the Scottish Stone of Scone, which the sticky-fingered Edward yoinked in 1296 ...

   • 2008, Paul McDonald, Do I Love You?, page 155:

     I broke-and-entered the clinic last night and yoinked em.'

   • 2016, Ben Davies, The Private Blog of Joe Cowley: Welcome to Cringefest, →ISBN, page 12:

     He had yoinked dozens off Gav over the years.

   • 2017, Nate Crowley, 100 Best Video Games (That Never Existed), →ISBN, page 90:

     Waiters were in on the ruse, and would frequently distract customers in order to facilitate the yoinking of oysters and caviar.

3. (colloquial) To take or win (something that others want).
   • 2010, Brenna Ehrlich, Andrea Bartz, Stuff Hipsters Hate:

     Jonas thinks he's such a free fucking spirit for sporting that Revolutionary War–esque overcoat he yoinked from that thrift shop in Philly.

   • 2012, Maria Semple, Where'd You Go, Bernadette, →ISBN:

     On my first four turns, I yoinked Australia. Playing Risk with these girls was so fun because in my whole life I've never seen two people happier.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:yoink.