yellow

adjective

yel·low | \ ˈye-(ˌ)lō

, dialectal ˈye-lər or ˈya-\

Definition of yellow

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : of the color yellow

b : become yellowish through age, disease, or discoloration : sallow

c sometimes offensive : having a yellowish or light brown complexion or skin

2a : featuring sensational or scandalous items or ordinary news sensationally distorted yellow journalism

b : mean, cowardly

yellow

noun

Definition of yellow (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : something yellow or marked by a yellow color: such as

a sometimes offensive : a person having yellowish or light brown skin

b : the yolk of an egg

2a : a color whose hue resembles that of ripe lemons or sunflowers or is that of the portion of the spectrum lying between green and orange

b : a pigment or dye that colors yellow

3 yellows plural : jaundice

4 yellows plural in form but singular in construction : any of several plant diseases caused especially by phytoplasmas and marked by yellowing of the foliage and stunting

yellow

verb

yellowed; yellowing; yellows

Definition of yellow (Entry 3 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to become or turn yellow

transitive verb

: to make yellow : give a yellow tinge or color to yellowed by time

Other Words from yellow Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about yellow

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Examples of yellow in a Sentence

Adjective

He was too yellow to stand up and fight. you'll come with us into the cave, unless you're yellow

Noun

The bridesmaids were dressed in yellow. a room decorated in yellows and greens

Verb

The paper had yellowed with age. The leaves were yellowed by disease.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The look features bright coral eyeshadow covering the eyelid, a fuchsia shade in the crease, and a swipe of fluorescent yellow eyeliner on the outside half of the eye and right under the brow. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Makeup Artist Accuses Real Techniques of Copying a Look She Created Without Permission," 20 July 2017 In addition to selling yellow mustard and hot sauce, the division makes ketchup, onion flavorings and other products. — Nick Turner, Bloomberg.com, "McCormick Buys Reckitt Benckiser Food Unit for $4.2 Billion," 19 July 2017 Three prominent Austin chefs teamed up with the Youngblood family to build a new restaurant from scratch that looks like a legacy chicken dinner house, down to the bright blue-and-yellow colors and the helpings of hot yeast rolls with honey. — Bud Kennedy, star-telegram, "Three local restaurant comeback stories, starting with Youngblood’s fried chicken," 19 July 2017 Majeski pulled off with two laps remaining during the final yellow flag situation. — Tony Baranek, Daily Southtown, "Ricky Baker holds his ground in wild ARCA Wayne Carter Classic victory," 16 July 2017 Either red or yellow maca will work here, but the flavor of the red is more mild. — Anya Tchoupakov, Bon Appetit, "25 Healthy Breakfast Recipes Because Who Knows How the Rest of the Day Will Go," 12 July 2017 The group recently wore matching black polos with yellow piping from the British brand, like some sort of unofficial uniform. — Christine Flammia, Esquire, "Fred Perry Wants Nothing to Do With Its Alt-Right Fanboys," 10 July 2017 Layered yellow atop thick green strokes conjure up a bouquet without providing any detail. — Anne Kniggendorf, kansascity.com, "First Friday gallery guide: Five shows to see," 3 July 2017 Ebony, 32, slipped the voucher back into its bright yellow folder and waited. — Alden Woods, azcentral, "60 days to find a home: Lack of affordable housing forces renters to settle," 2 July 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Capital Bikeshare, the popular Washington-area bicycle program, may get a corporate sponsor and advertising on the iconic red-and-yellow bikes next year. — Patricia Sullivan, Washington Post, "Advertising may be coming to Capital Bikeshare bikes," 20 June 2017 Living Room Suites use bold combinations of deep yellow and navy blue. — Gabe Hartwig, chicagotribune.com, "3 Memphis getaways: rock star, rustic or refined," 9 June 2017 There isn’t even a cross walk or a speed bump or a caution sign or a flashing yellow; there is nothing but blacktop for miles. — Neil Senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How about a Tinder for start-ups in San Diego?," 5 June 2017 CENTRALIA — Men, women and children, all wearing yellow numbered Army identification tags, gathered at the Chehalis Train Depot on June 2, 1942. — Graham Perednia, The Seattle Times, "‘Most lost everything they had’: Centralia museum honors interned Japanese-Americans," 3 June 2017 Three other sterile barberry varieties that are being grown by wholesalers for later sale are a super compact cultivar with yellow foliage, and two compact shrubs, one with yellow and the other with green foliage. — Theresa Sullivan Barger, courant.com, "UConn Horticulturists Creating Sterile Versions Of Invasive Shrubs," 1 June 2017 The gleaming fleet of green-and-yellow John Deere tractors is still driven by Chinese workers, while almost two-thirds of Gaza's population lives in poverty. — Bloomberg.com, "China Spins a Global Food Web From Mozambique to Missouri," 22 May 2017 A video posted last month of Xiaoman biting off tender morsels of yellow... — Kathy Chu, WSJ, "How a Toddler Who Loves Eating Transfixed China," 21 May 2017 Dwyer is suspended for the match after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season — most in MLS — in last weekend’s loss to Minnesota. — Sam Mcdowell, kansascity.com, "Dom Dwyer’s suspension highlights the need for Sporting KC to develop a reliable backup," 12 May 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

It was forced to halt work on a highway around the city, which now stops abruptly at hoardings plastered in yellowing propaganda posters. — The Economist, "As growth slows, the spectre of local-government debt looms once more," 22 June 2019 Multiple near-fatal heart attacks had gnarled his hands, creased his craggy face with wrinkles and yellowed his eyes. — Jason Zweig, WSJ, "What Drove Jack Bogle to Upend Investing," 18 Jan. 2019 In the shadows, a dragon with a polka-dot tail lashes at the rafters, while blue-faced Tibetan demons grimace, their goggle-eyes yellowed by smoke. — Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, "On Your Next Trip to Nepal, Rent the House Sir Edmund Hillary Loved," 20 Dec. 2018 Diseases also rare, but rhubarb can succumb to Verticillium wilt, which yellows leaves early in the season and can wilt whole plants in late attacks. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "How to Grow the Most Pie-Worthy Rhubarb Ever," 30 May 2018 That’s why one of the important warning signs of nitrogen deficiency is yellowing, pale green leaves—especially if this chlorosis develops in the oldest leaves—and indolent plant growth despite fine weather. — Beth Hanson, Good Housekeeping, "Grow Healthier Crops Using These Natural Nitrogen Sources," 24 Aug. 2015 Hundreds of $1 bills are tacked to the ceiling, yellowed from the days of indoor smoking. — John Carlisle, Detroit Free Press, "Father, son bond writing U.P. bars book and it becomes a cult classic," 10 June 2018 In 2028, however, what's left of all this dynamism are yellowing photographs on the wall and old protest banners dangling from the ceiling. — Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Ten Years Taiwan': Film Review," 13 July 2018 Hepatitis A symptoms include: sudden abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, headache, dark urine, and vomiting followed by yellowing of the skin and eyes. — Paul Sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hepatitis A case prompts National City treatment center warning," 6 July 2018

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