yap

1 of 2

verb

ˈyap 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• 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

That’s when Scaramucci got a gig as first-term President Donald Trump’s communications director, only to yap his way out of that job after 11 days. —Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 2 July 2025

Her council is still yapping at her, and her most powerful allies are moping and staring off into the middle distance. —Brian Grubb, Vulture, 14 July 2024

Noun

TikTok and Instagram Reels are rife with clips of two women sitting in a pink or beige studio and, in TikTok terms, having a yap about seemingly inconsequential matters. —Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 10 Apr. 2025

Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for yap

• app
• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap
• hap
• lap
• nap
• nappe

Kids Definition

yap

1 of 2 verb

ˈyap 

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 

ˈyäp

variants or Uap

ˈwäp 

islands in the western Carolines population 11,377

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

Yapese

ya-ˈpēz 

yä-

-ˈpēs

adjective