yawn

1 of 2

verb

ˈyȯn 

ˈyän

yawned; yawning; yawns

intransitive verb

1

: to open wide : gape

2

: to open the mouth wide and take a deep breath usually as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom

transitive verb

1

: to utter with a yawn

2

: to accomplish with or impel by yawns

his grandchildren yawned him to bed

—L. L. King

yawn

2 of 2

noun

1

: gap, cavity

2

: an opening of the mouth wide while taking a deep breath often as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom

also : a reaction resembling a yawn

a … success at the box office but drew only yawns from critics

—Current Biography

3

: bore entry 5

this book is kind of a yawn

—Ilene L. Cooper

Synonyms

Noun

• bore
• drag
• drip
• droner
• dullsville
• nudnik
• nudnick
• snooze
• snoozer
• yawner

Examples of yawn in a Sentence

Verb

Students were yawning in class.

Noun

I tried to stifle a yawn.

as neither candidate was willing to make an unequivocal statement about anything, the debate proved to be a complete yawn

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

More than three-fourths of the drowsy driving events to which it has been alerted by dash cams since October were detected by behaviors other than yawning alone. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2024

Our political reporters are yawning after a busy week and busy election season. —Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Nov. 2024

Noun

When the full range of approaches to the symphony is considered, an ever more drastic divide yawns. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024

That meant a lot of teeth for a character who sings, screams, and yawns over the course of the classic film. —Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English yenen, yanen, from Old English ginian; akin to Old High German ginēn to yawn, Latin hiare, Greek chainein

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

yawn

1 of 2 verb

ˈyȯn 

ˈyän

1

: to open wide : gape

2

: to open the mouth wide and take a deep breath usually as a reaction to being tired or bored

yawner noun

yawn

2 of 2 noun

: an opening of the mouth wide while taking a deep breath often as an involuntary reaction

Medical Definition

yawn

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈyȯn, ˈyän 

: to open the mouth wide and take a deep breath usually as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom

yawn

2 of 2 noun

: an opening of the mouth wide while taking a deep breath often as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom