YANK Meaning of YANK in English informal■ verb1》 pull with a jerk. 2》 N. Amer. withdraw or cancel abruptly. ■ noun a sudden hard pull.OriginC18 (as a Scots word in the sense 'sudden sharp blow'): of unknown origin. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004