yawn

verb

\ ˈyȯn

, ˈyän\

yawned; yawning; yawns

Definition of yawn

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to open wide : gape

2 : to open the mouth wide and take a deep breath usually as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom

transitive verb

1 : to utter with a yawn

2 : to accomplish with or impel by yawns his grandchildren yawned him to bed— L. L. King

yawn

noun

Definition of yawn (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : gap, cavity

2 : an opening of the mouth wide while taking a deep breath often as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom also : a reaction resembling a yawn a … success at the box office but drew only yawns from critics — Current Biography

3 : bore entry 5 this book is kind of a yawn— Ilene L. Cooper

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about yawn

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Examples of yawn in a Sentence

Verb

Students were yawning in class.

Noun

I tried to stifle a yawn. as neither candidate was willing to make an unequivocal statement about anything, the debate proved to be a complete yawn

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The gap between long-maturity bond yields and nominal growth, which historically have tended to track each other, is yawning wider. — Richard Barley, WSJ, "Global Bonds Need to Catch Up on the News," 30 July 2018 Get your z's... Ever found yourself yawning a ton while driving and barely able to keep your eyes open or concentrate on the road? — Seventeen Editors, Seventeen, "7 Driving Tips For Teens That'll Seriously Help You Become a Pro On The Road," 14 Dec. 2018 There was James Neal moments later, misfiring onto a yawning net with goalie Braden Holtby watching helplessly nearby and … PING! — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "After Game 4 Win, the Capitals Are on the Cusp of Finishing Their Story in Stanley Cup Final," 5 June 2018 Amid yawning deficits, Mr. Brown redirected $331 million to the Justice Department and debt service on housing bonds issued in 2002 and 2006. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "California’s Mortgage Raid," 23 Sep. 2018 Britain’s turn from its welfare state in the face of yawning budget deficits is a conspicuous indicator that the world has been refashioned by the crisis. — Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, "In Britain, Austerity Is Changing Everything," 28 May 2018 Your mainstream media is yawning, paying very little attention. — Fox News, "DiGenova: It's clear the Mueller team is acting in bad faith," 4 May 2018 The administration’s own budget forecasts 3 percent growth every year for the next decade in part by relying on some rosy — and outdated — assumptions about the nation’s borrowing costs despite yawning deficits. — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump plans to roll out budget and infrastructure plans. Neither may be relevant.," 12 Feb. 2018 Not long after Clinton unpacked his things in Chappaqua, his successor was presiding over a sputtering economy, increased poverty, and yawning deficits. — Neil Swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "How Democrats would be better off if Bill Clinton had never been president," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Where a few new planets once shook up our picture of our own place in the cosmos, data dumps about hundreds of newfound planets now elicit a yawn. — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Kepler's Last Light, and Its Towering Legacy," 8 Feb. 2019 Look no further than a pathetically boring campaign that unfolded this week, to the yawns of the handful of people who followed it and the utter disinterest of the vast majority of Europe’s voters. — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, "Europeans Wish They Had a Midterm Election," 8 Nov. 2018 But squeezing your facial muscles during a yawn can temporarily close off these ducts, keeping those tears in your eyes a little longer than usual. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Why Do My Eyes Water When I Yawn?," 25 Sep. 2018 As for the team itself, the 76ers were on the rise after years of yawn-inducing mediocrity. — Scott Cacciola, New York Times, "Sixers’ Throwback Anthem Becomes the Soundtrack of a Comeback," 4 Jan. 2018 The ratings for the show have been consistently low, and until now most of the responses involved yawns or Jon Stewart falling asleep. — Charlotte Hilton Andersen, Redbook, "Explaining the "All-American Muslim" Controversy to Our Kids," 15 Dec. 2011 For decades, the O in O Street downtown might as well have symbolized a big yawn. — Tony Bizjak, sacbee, "This may be downtown Sacramento's most boring corridor. Would a facelift change that?," 27 June 2018 But the media, of course, didn't report, barely yawn. — Fox News, "Questions remain after Wray and Horowitz testify," 19 June 2018 The Enquirer/Bobby Nightengale (Photo: Sam Greene) Oh, yawn. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Morning Line: Enjoy the fun being produced by the Cincinnati Reds lineup," 3 July 2018

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