yap

1 of 2

verb

ˈyap 

yapped; yapping

intransitive verb

1

: to talk in a shrill insistent way : chatter

2

: to bark snappishly : yelp

yapper noun

yap

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a quick sharp bark : yelp

b

: shrill insistent talk : chatter

2

: an unsophisticated, ignorant, or uncouth person : bumpkin

3

slang : mouth

Synonyms

Noun

• chops
• gob [chiefly British]
• kisser [slang]
• mouth
• mug
• piehole [slang]
• trap [slang]

Examples of yap in a Sentence

Verb

The dog was yapping all night.

Kids were yapping in the back of the room.

She seems to spend all her time yapping on the phone.

Noun

I heard yaps coming from the yard.

a dope with a talent for opening his yap at exactly the wrong moment

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Things were going very smoothly with the couple taking things slow in Cabo, but Stephen was yapping her ear off. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2024

From chilling fights about yapping too much to roundabout conversations about getting the ick from watching your partner straddle patio furniture, there’s plenty here. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Noun

Abigail is also an expert in Gilmore Girls lore and yaps about romance novels on a podcast in her spare time. —Abigail Rosenthal, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024

Your new best friend will thank you—in licks, tail wags, and happy yaps, of course. —Clarissa Schmidt, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

yap

1 of 2 verb

ˈyap 

yapped; yapping

1

: to bark in yaps : yelp

2

: to talk sharply or continuously

yap

2 of 2 noun

: a quick shrill bark : yelp

Geographical Definition

Yap

geographical name

ˈyap 

ˈyäp

variants or Uap

ˈwäp 

islands in the western Carolines population 11,377

Note: The Yap Islands are part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Yapese

ya-ˈpēz 

yä-

-ˈpēs

adjective