gank

v. to rob, rip off, or con (someone). Subjects: English, United States, Crime & Prisons, Drugs, Slang

Editorial Note: See also gank, n.

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Citations: 1989 Karen Dillon Chicago Tribune (July 19) “Youths get 79 years for beating elderly” p. C10: In their confession to police, the two youths said they would go “make a run” or “gank an o.g.,” which means they would drive around until they spotted an elderly woman, usually at a bank or shopping center or near a school. 1990 Alan Gottleib Denver Post (Colo.) (July 8) “One sibling resists entangling net, sets eyes on college, future” p. 13A: “Base had just ganked a tweaker,” James said—conned a crack addict out of her money. 1991 John M. McGuire St. Louis Post-Dispatch Everyday magazine (Mo.) (July 8) “The New Breed Young St. Louis Cops Look For Seasoning, Respect—And Yogurt” p. 1D: “Don’t gank me,” Kelly says. As a verb, Kelly later explains, “gank” means “to chump you, or play you for a fool.” 1991 Ken Kolker Grand Rapids Press (Mich.) (Nov. 27) “Hickman tells of plan to sell fake cocaine to undercover agent”: Hickman said he and Maurice Pointer planned to “gank”—the street term for rob—the undercover agent, posing as a customer, by selling him fake cocaine for $28,000 on April 8 on the MSU campus in East Lansing. 1994 Ron Stallworth (Congressional Testimony) (Feb. 23) “Influence of Lyrics on Children”: Let him think he’s gettin’ over while I gank him for his riches robbin’, stealln’, killin’ at will— 1994 Mary Carole McCauley Milwaukee Journal (Wisc.) (June 24) “Petition sheds light on events of slaying, but motive is murky” p. B3: One told the others, “Let’s gank him,” which the 17-year- old understood to mean that he wanted to rob Eshman.

Posted 23 Jun 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

I’d never heard of this word before I saw it here yesterday. Then, last night, I was watching the show Freaks & Geeks on DVD. In the episode “Tests and Breasts,” Daniel explains that he “ganked” his upcoming algebra test—i.e., stole it from the teacher’s office.

Interesting note: the episode is set in Michigan in 1980, but was written and aired in 1999. I wonder if the slang is that old, or if that was an anachronistic bit of dialogue?

by scarequotes 24 Jun 04, 0627 GMT

This term has popped up more and more frequently in online journals / blogs to refer to material stolen from other posters, or taken and modified from another original posting. For example, if one blogger posts his answers to a set of five questions, another blogger might post his own answers to the same five questions and indicate that the list was “ganked” from the original poster.

by Graham 03 Jun 06, 0229 GMT

I’ve also noticed this word used quite a bit in online gaming (esp. World of Warcraft) as meaning “to ambush” (usually with the result that you are killed). It also retains its meaning of “to steal” though.

by Scot LaFaive 07 Jun 06, 0933 GMT

We have used the word here for a long long time. grab + yank = gank meaning to steal. But nowadays, the younger generation have taken it to mean “gang kill” in online gaming.

by Dar 14 Sep 07, 0925 GMT