1
as in tale
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally Grandpa likes to tell yarns about when he was young

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2
as in story
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel a ripping yarn about space travel and alien monsters

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of yarn But like all good yarns, the legend has continued to evolve. JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025 Herodotus recruits evidence from passages in the Iliad and the Odyssey to show that Homer himself knew at least fragments of this tale yet opted to tell another, better yarn. Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025 Sethi said that one of the things that appealed to REI was the quality of some of the yarns Ambercycle had been experimenting with for applications such as technical outerwear and performance laminates. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 28 Oct. 2025 The constantly shifting allegiances are meant to form a twisty yarn in the aggregate, though the effect is largely just confusing — especially when Helen gets a subplot investigating her own past that distracts from her role as the chilly, withholding boss. Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for yarn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yarn
Noun
  • Musicalizing the story does little to ground the audience in Jackie’s world and instead pulls and stretches the tale, when the themes alone could speak for themselves.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
  • As the title suggests, this sprawling tale centers on Raja, a man in his sixties who lives with his mother in Beirut, a city shaking with political and ecological turmoil.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • This show has always been a part of our love story.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 11 Nov. 2025
  • The Bee’s Darrell Smith contributed to this story.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Shawshank Prison is perhaps Stephen King’s most iconic setting, most notably thanks to the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Directed by Clint Bentley, who wrote the screenplay with Greg Kwedar (the duo behind Sing Sing), based on the novella by Denis Johnson.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Part of the reason why there are so few of these conversations about podcasting is a general lack of criticism for narrative audio.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The organization is working to transform cultural norms and narratives surrounding aging, disability and care, as well as make change through federal and state-level policies and build power among the people who have been touched by care.
    Katherine Schaffstall, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Yarn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yarn. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

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