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

In 2013, researchers from Lund University repeatedly yawned at 33 chimpanzees in cages and found that the chimps consistently yawned back. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 June 2025

Jim Alexander: As the NBA Finals Disney Will Hate begin tonight, with the small-market Oklahoma City Thunder favored to beat the small-market Indiana Pacers as (so the smart guys say) most of America will yawn, leave it to us to figure out who the key player in this matchup is. —Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 5 June 2025

Noun

Ordinarily, announcement of a mayoral task force or working group formed elicits yawns. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025

Jenna Bush Hager Says Daughter Mila Got 'Overwhelmed' by Secret Service Spending Time with First Lady Laura Bush Guthrie's carousel also featured a picture of the girls at the end of the party, posing on a red truck while Mila feigned a yawn. —Hannah Sacks, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for yawn

• aune
• bon
• bonne
• brawn
• chon
• con
• conn
• crohn
• dawn
• drawn
• fawn
• gone

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