yammer

verb

yam·​mer ˈya-mər How to pronounce yammer (audio)
yammered; yammering ˈya-mə-riŋ How to pronounce yammer (audio)
ˈyam-riŋ

intransitive verb

1
a
: to utter repeated cries of distress or sorrow
b
2
: to utter persistent complaints : whine
3
: to talk persistently or volubly and often loudly
caused the purists to yammer for censorshipD. W. Maurer
yammer noun

Example Sentences

customers yammered on for what seemed like days about the billing mistake
Recent Examples on the Web So the easiest course is to yammer on about Hitler while the single female professional down the street takes her own reproductive chocies into her own hands (so to speak). Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 9 Oct. 2013 Abandoned on my own private Exile Island without a recap in which to yammer on endlessly about trivial matters that are of no real importance whatsoever. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2021 Only in a minority of cases did one partner want to yammer on whereas the other wished to cut things off. Cathleen O’grady, Science | AAAS, 1 Mar. 2021 Where are all the hanging geraniums? Kids yammering for ice cream? Sue Hertz, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2018 There was already enough finger-pointing, yammering about bad people doing bad things. Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018 The North Koreans had largely let the South Koreans do the talking until Bolton started yammering on about Libya. Sean Illing, Vox, 24 May 2018 The president yammered about several topics, including his ties to Michael Cohen, Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, and Kanye West’s recent pro-Trump tweets. Laura Bradley, HWD, 27 Apr. 2018 In other words, the event all those Y2K conspiracy theorists were yammering about 18 years ago has finally happened, and we're all doomed. Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 8 Feb. 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yammer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English yameren, alteration of yomeren to murmur, be sad, from Old English gēomrian; akin to Old High German jāmaron to be sad

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of yammer was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near yammer

Cite this Entry

“Yammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yammer. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

yammer

verb
yam·​mer ˈyam-ər How to pronounce yammer (audio)
yammered; yammering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce yammer (audio)
: to utter repeated cries of sorrow, distress, or complaint
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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