yap

1 of 2

verb

yapped; yapping

intransitive verb

1
: to talk in a shrill insistent way : chatter
2
: to bark snappishly : yelp
yapper noun

yap

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a quick sharp bark : yelp
b
: shrill insistent talk : chatter
2
: an unsophisticated, ignorant, or uncouth person : bumpkin
3
slang : mouth

Examples of yap in a Sentence

Verb The dog was yapping all night. Kids were yapping in the back of the room. She seems to spend all her time yapping on the phone. Noun I heard yaps coming from the yard. a dope with a talent for opening his yap at exactly the wrong moment
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Things were going very smoothly with the couple taking things slow in Cabo, but Stephen was yapping her ear off. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2024 From chilling fights about yapping too much to roundabout conversations about getting the ick from watching your partner straddle patio furniture, there’s plenty here. Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Noun
Your new best friend will thank you—in licks, tail wags, and happy yaps, of course. Clarissa Schmidt, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2024 No texting, no soda-sucking, and no chatter, save for a thoughtful yap every now and then. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2020 See all Example Sentences for yap 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yap.' 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

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of yap was in 1596

Dictionary Entries Near yap

Cite this Entry

“Yap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yap. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

yap

1 of 2 verb
yapped; yapping
1
: to bark in yaps : yelp
2
: to talk sharply or continuously

yap

2 of 2 noun
: a quick shrill bark : yelp

Geographical Definition

Yap

geographical name

ˈyap How to pronounce Yap (audio)
ˈyäp
variants or Uap
islands in the western Carolines population 11,377

Note: The Yap Islands are part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Yapese
ya-ˈpēz How to pronounce Yap (audio)
yä-
-ˈpēs
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on yap

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