1
: wide open : cavernous
a yawning hole
yawning gaps in the plot
2
: showing fatigue or boredom by yawns
a yawning audience
Examples of yawning in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet the shooting also divided the American public in ways that many found disturbing, including a yawning lack of empathy for the victim and even cheering for the shooter.
—
Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
The nation has also a yawning fiscal deficit, a trade deficit of $43 billion, plus a daunting $45 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund, with $10.6 billion due to the multilateral and private creditors by April.
—Débora Rey, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023
Dellandrea still impresses: Stars forward Ty Dellandrea picked up his third assist of the season on Tuesday, working his way to a puck and finding Wyatt Johnston for a yawning cage in the second period.
—Dallas News, 25 Oct. 2022
In Palm Beach County, Ian's yawning reach spun up four tornadoes.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2023
Wet Leg make fun of something that Harry Styles couldn’t quite capture in his cover of their song on BBC Radio 1: the yawning banality of male attention.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2022
But McNamara obtained the transcripts and discovered yawning contradictions.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York may be at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, but a more yawning gap between figures in the party has existed before.
—John Dickerson, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2022
The tunnels, some a yawning 33 feet in diameter and running up to 300 feet below city streets, stretch 109 miles and collectively hold 2.3 billion gallons of water.
—New York Times, 17 May 2020
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Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
The nation has also a yawning fiscal deficit, a trade deficit of $43 billion, plus a daunting $45 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund, with $10.6 billion due to the multilateral and private creditors by April.
—Débora Rey, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023
Dellandrea still impresses: Stars forward Ty Dellandrea picked up his third assist of the season on Tuesday, working his way to a puck and finding Wyatt Johnston for a yawning cage in the second period.
—Dallas News, 25 Oct. 2022
In Palm Beach County, Ian's yawning reach spun up four tornadoes.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2023
Wet Leg make fun of something that Harry Styles couldn’t quite capture in his cover of their song on BBC Radio 1: the yawning banality of male attention.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2022
But McNamara obtained the transcripts and discovered yawning contradictions.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York may be at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, but a more yawning gap between figures in the party has existed before.
—John Dickerson, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2022
The tunnels, some a yawning 33 feet in diameter and running up to 300 feet below city streets, stretch 109 miles and collectively hold 2.3 billion gallons of water.
—New York Times, 17 May 2020
Cite this Entry
“Yawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yawning. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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