yawn

verb

Save Word

\ 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

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 Not going to lie, men's fashion at major awards shows errs on the side of being yawn inducing. — Ana Escalante, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2022 Meantime, the gaps in wealth, education, social justice, and healthcare can’t yawn any wider without swallowing whole swaths of humanity. — Simon Mainwaring, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2021 But no one who pays attention to the daily news will yawn at another first-timer: Coalition. — Jason Bisnoff, Forbes, 8 June 2021 There are also township government elections in the south and southwest suburbs, but don’t yawn them off, the Southtown’s Ted Slowik writes. — Lisa Donovan, chicagotribune.com, 23 Dec. 2020 Sometimes someone would yawn or freeze with a tortured expression. — Sam Anderson, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2020 In America there is a yawning partisan gap in trust (see chart 2). — The Economist, 3 June 2020 His dancers are often caught in awkward, ungainly poses, stretching and yawning, or slumped, exhausted. — Carol Strickland, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 May 2020 There is time to make up the yawning gap between cities and suburbs before this census year is over, but the novel coronavirus makes the task more daunting. — Dan Horn, Cincinnati.com, 24 Apr. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Think of a cartoon character starting their day with a hyperbolically large yawn, complete with outstretched arms and a gaping mouth. — Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 12 July 2022 Alabama had competitive Senate and governor contests on the ballot Tuesday, but voters reacted mostly with a collective yawn. — al, 26 May 2022 Leaning back in his leather seat, Gotti unleashes a jaw-cracking yawn. — Neena Rouhani, Billboard, 19 May 2022 When Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the news was greeted with a yawn. — Kay S. Hymowitz, WSJ, 2 May 2022 Team after good team slaps the Heat around and the Heat attitude is a bored yawn. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2022 It’s not an absolute roaring yawn or a page turner. — Patrick Frater, Variety, 24 Mar. 2022 Many of the locals eventually shifted from mouth-gaping rapt gawking to now emitting an expansive yawn of boredom to witness those meandering self-driving cars. — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2022 Dividends—even monthly ones—normally get a collective yawn from investors in bullish times. — Brett Owens, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 See More

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.