variants
or yaup
yawped or yauped; yawping or yauping; yawps or yaups
yawper
noun
variants
or less commonly yaup
1
: a raucous noise : squawk
2
: something suggestive of a raucous noise
specifically
: rough vigorous language
Did you know?
Yawp first appeared sometime in the 15th century. This verb comes from Middle English yolpen, most likely itself derived from the past participle of yelpen, meaning "to boast, call out, or yelp." Interestingly, yawp retains much of the meaning of yelpen, in that it implies a type of complaining which often has a yelping or squawking quality. An element of foolishness, in addition to the noisiness, is often implied as well. Yawp can also be a noun meaning "a raucous noise" or "squawk." The noun yawp arrived on the scene more than 400 years after the verb. It was greatly popularized by "Song of Myself," a poem by Walt Whitman containing the line "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world."
Examples of yawp in a Sentence
Verb
stop yawping about your problems and try doing something to fix them
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023
Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2021
And, finally, the restatement of the American Dream for a new century, just the way Walt Whitman yawped it in the streets of Manhattan.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 Mar. 2017
Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
In the end, their revolt against government bailouts soured into a giant yawp of anger at the first Black president.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
In Song of myself, Walt Whitman describes it as the barbaric yawp, which is just this guttural expression of emotion.
—Outside Online, 9 Apr. 2025
Collins pulls out a roaring yawp as carelessly as LaMelo Ball spams 3-pointers.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Taken together, the memes about the rally shooting represent a collective yawp of confusion over how to process such an extreme incident through such fundamentally trivializing channels.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 17 July 2024
Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one.
168.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 May 2024
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Verb
After Glazer’s film cuts to black at the end, the music reemerges in a nightmarish march of yawping voices.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023
Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2021
And, finally, the restatement of the American Dream for a new century, just the way Walt Whitman yawped it in the streets of Manhattan.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 Mar. 2017
Noun
Keem’s trademark yawp gave his early work a demented sense of propulsion.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
In the end, their revolt against government bailouts soured into a giant yawp of anger at the first Black president.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
In Song of myself, Walt Whitman describes it as the barbaric yawp, which is just this guttural expression of emotion.
—Outside Online, 9 Apr. 2025
Collins pulls out a roaring yawp as carelessly as LaMelo Ball spams 3-pointers.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Taken together, the memes about the rally shooting represent a collective yawp of confusion over how to process such an extreme incident through such fundamentally trivializing channels.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 17 July 2024
Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one.
168.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Yawp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yawp. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
yawp
2 of 2 noun
variants
also yaup
: a loud harsh noise
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