yuk

1 of 2

noun

variants or yuck or less commonly yak or yock
1
slang : laugh
did it just for yuks
2
slang : joke, gag

yuk

2 of 2

verb

variants or yuck
yukked or yucked; yukking or yucking

intransitive verb

slang
: laugh, joke
usually used in the phrase yuk it up

Examples of yuk in a Sentence

Noun the yuks on this new sitcom are so pathetic that the souped-up laugh track merely adds insult to injury Verb pay no mind to those clowns—they are just yukking it up and don't mean any harm
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Certainly, a just-for-yuks take on infidelity, anger and marital resentment may strike many television executives as a risky bet. Alex Williams, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2016
Verb
Seinfeld heads back to Bay Area Jerry Seinfeld is ready to yuk it up with Bay Area fans. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 3 Oct. 2024 Jerry Seinfeld is ready to yuk it up with Bay Area fans. Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024 Kevin Hart yuks it up with Laugh Out Loud Radio, a collection of Hart’s specials, shows, and dialogues. PCMAG, 14 Aug. 2024 Each person gets a chance to stand on one side of a plastic barrier while Yankovic stands on the other and tour photographer Kamal Asar takes a picture of them pretending to organically yuk it up together. Alex Pappademas, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2022 The Monocle isn’t a culinary utopia where Republicans and Democrats yuk it up together, engaging in the kind of cross-aisle socializing whose demise misty-eyed old-timers lament. Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2020 The old Boston standby David Ortiz now yuks it up with A-Rod on Fox’s postseason studio show. Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2017 Get ready to yuk it up with megastars Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr and others at Comedy Central Presents Colossal Clusterfest, a brand new festival set for June 2-4 in San Francisco. Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yuk was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near yuk

Cite this Entry

“Yuk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yuk. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!