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Yawp first appeared sometime in the 15th century. This verb comes from Middle English yolpen, most likely itself derived from the past participle of yelpen, meaning "to boast, call out, or yelp." Interestingly, yawp retains much of the meaning of yelpen, in that it implies a type of complaining which often has a yelping or squawking quality. An element of foolishness, in addition to the noisiness, is often implied as well. Yawp can also be a noun meaning "a raucous noise" or "squawk." The noun yawp arrived on the scene more than 400 years after the verb. It was greatly popularized by "Song of Myself," a poem by Walt Whitman containing the line "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world."
Synonyms
Verb
Examples of yawp in a Sentence
Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023
Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2021
And, finally, the restatement of the American Dream for a new century, just the way Walt Whitman yawped it in the streets of Manhattan.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 Mar. 2017
Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 17 July 2024
Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one.
168.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 May 2024
Prince Harry’s book is a yawp of grief for the dead which spares little mercy for the living.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023
The result: a cathartic yawp for bandmates and fans alike.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
That song has always seemed to me the Ur-millennial track with its twee mandolins, barbaric yawp of a vocal, and stomp-clap vibe that anticipates the sound that would dominate radio in the early 2010s.
—Vulture, 10 May 2023
Casas’s walk on the wild side One day after Triston Casas let out a mighty yawp following a 14-pitch walk against the Rays, the Red Sox remained both impressed with the focus demonstrated by the rookie in the at-bat and amused by a virtually unprecedented reaction to a walk.
—Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2023
In a metaphor for either human experience or the art of composition, Tamestit literally found his voice, with a primal yawp, and learned to make music with the viola, in partnership rather than contest with others.
—Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 21 Oct. 2022
The band’s early music seemed to catalyze a host of dark, ugly emotions into a powerful yawp of defiance.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near yawp
Cite this Entry
“Yawp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yawp. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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yawp
2 of 2 noun
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