yarn

noun

\ ˈyärn

Definition of yarn

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a continuous often plied strand composed of either natural or man-made fibers or filaments and used in weaving and knitting to form cloth

b : a similar strand of another material (such as metal, glass, or plastic)

2 [ from the idiom spin a yarn "to tell a tale" ] : a narrative of adventures especially : a tall tale a roaring good yarn

yarn

verb

yarned; yarning; yarns

Definition of yarn (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to tell a yarn

Other Words from yarn Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about yarn

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Examples of yarn in a Sentence

Noun

The sheep's wool will be spun into yarn. yarns about ghosts and goblins a storyteller who spins yarns that will keep any audience riveted

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

What is known is that Jacquard by Google dates back to 2014 when Dr. Ivan Pourpyrev invented the Jacquard yarn in the Google ATAP Research Lab with the assistance of artisans in Japan using the same machines that produce Japanese kimonos. — Amy Verner, Vogue, "The Future of Smart Fabric Is in This Fashion Historian’s Hands," 6 Mar. 2019 The yarn could then be woven into cloth on a loom, much like traditional fibers. — Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian, "When Paper Clothing Was the Perfect Fit," 25 May 2018 The yarn began with a mini-mart stop for sodas and a chance purchase of a scratch-it ticket with left-over money. — Brad Schmidt, OregonLive.com, "Oregon man who won $30,000 lottery ticket left speechless -- almost," 6 May 2018 Thread count is the total number of yarns per square inch of fabric. — Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping, "Does the Thread Count of Your Sheets Matter? Bedding Experts Reveal the Truth," 17 May 2019 The trunk show will have many garments and accessories showcasing all her yarns. — Mary Mooney, OregonLive.com, "Rose City Yarn Crawl swag, Knitting Culture event," 23 Jan. 2018 Most often, that yarn is made of nylon, which is a soft and durable fiber—but carpets can also be made out of polyester or wool. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "Here’s Your Ultimate Guide To Carpet Textures," 25 Jan. 2019 Simply Maggie uses Premier Yarns Couture Jazz yarn (and her own arms!) to whip up this beautiful blanket in just 45 minutes. — Madison Alcedo, Country Living, "5 Easy DIY Tutorials for That Viral Chunky Knit Blanket," 12 Dec. 2018 They are given yarn to pass the time making brightly colored bracelets and scarves. — Garance Burke And Martha Mendoza, The Seattle Times, "US waived FBI checks on staff at growing teen migrant camp," 28 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Forty-eight vendors sold everything from fresh beef and eggs to yarn made from alpaca fiber, handmade signs and bags, to natural soaps and body products. — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "Winter Farmers Market Draws Hundreds," 21 Mar. 2018 Kaye, who has since created crochet content for the Gap, Valentino, Starbucks, and Miller Lite (in which she yarn bombed an entire 50-by-25 foot billboard in Times Square), started crocheting at 13, selling scarves to her dance studio classmates. — Niree Noel, Los Angeles Magazine, "London Kaye Is Bombing L.A. (With Yarn)," 9 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'yarn.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for yarn

Noun

Middle English yerne, yarne "spun fiber," going back to Old English gearn, going back to Germanic *garna- (whence also Middle Dutch gaern, garen "spun fiber," Old High German & Old Norse garn), masculine noun probably from the same base as feminine *garnō "intestine" (whence Old Norse gǫrn, plural garnar "guts") and *garnja- (in Old English micgern, midirne "fat around the entrails of an animal," Old Saxon midgarni, Old High German mittigarni, with *midja- mid entry 1), going back to Indo-European *ǵhorH-n- (whence also Lithuanian žarnà "intestine" and Greek khordḗ "catgut, string of a musical instrument, sausage," in plural "guts, tripe," if altered from *khornḗ), suffixed o-grade derivative of *ǵhr̥H- "gut, cord made from animal intestines," whence Latin haru- "intestines" (in haruspex haruspex), Sanskrit híraḥ "band, strip," hirā́ "vein"