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Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantonese yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning "opium," and yáhn, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.
Synonyms
Examples of yen in a Sentence
Noun (2)
I have a strange yen to take the day off from work
Verb
what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
Recent Examples on the Web
Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
Sony hiked its overall full-year sales forecast to 13.2 trillion yen ($85.6 billion), up 4% on a yen basis; and increased the operating income outlook 2% to 1.335 trillion yen ($8.7 billion).
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
In Japan, the group’s sales reached 283.8 billion yen, up 9.2 percent reported and 9.5 percent like-for-like.
—Jennifer Weil, WWD, 10 Feb. 2025
On Sunday, a Pacific bluefin tuna sold for $1.3 million (207 million yen) at the market’s first auction of 2025.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Come nightfall, 292 samurai warriors gather, lured by the promise of a grand prize of 100 billion yen.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
Sony hiked its overall full-year sales forecast to 13.2 trillion yen ($85.6 billion), up 4% on a yen basis; and increased the operating income outlook 2% to 1.335 trillion yen ($8.7 billion).
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2025
In Japan, the group’s sales reached 283.8 billion yen, up 9.2 percent reported and 9.5 percent like-for-like.
—Jennifer Weil, WWD, 10 Feb. 2025
On Sunday, a Pacific bluefin tuna sold for $1.3 million (207 million yen) at the market’s first auction of 2025.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for yen
Dictionary Entries Near yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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