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Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in “a yen for a beach vacation”), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen, used in the late 19th century, was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning “opium,” and yáhn, “craving,” in the Chinese language used in the province of Guangdong. In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen, and eventually shortened to yen.
Synonyms of yen
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Noun (2)
Verb
Examples of yen in a Sentence
Noun (2)
I have a strange yen to take the day off from work
Verb
what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
Recent Examples on the Web
Lauren Sarringhaus, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Set for what appears to be a Japan-exclusive release, the Doublet x Asics Gel-Quantum 360 I AMP will retail for 37,400 yen, which converts to roughly $239 as of publishing.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 2026
At the time of writing, ticket prices are around 6,800 yen ($43) for adults and 3,000 yen ($19) for children aged 4 to 11 years.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
At the same time, debt worries have made precious metals appear safer than other assets like the dollar and yen.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yen
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Noun
Our new observations of physical risk-taking in chimpanzees suggests that the rise in risk-taking in human adolescence isn’t due to a new yen for danger.
—Lauren Sarringhaus, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Set for what appears to be a Japan-exclusive release, the Doublet x Asics Gel-Quantum 360 I AMP will retail for 37,400 yen, which converts to roughly $239 as of publishing.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 2026
At the time of writing, ticket prices are around 6,800 yen ($43) for adults and 3,000 yen ($19) for children aged 4 to 11 years.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
At the same time, debt worries have made precious metals appear safer than other assets like the dollar and yen.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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