yield

verb

\ ˈyēld

yielded; yielding; yields

Definition of yield

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : to bear or bring forth as a natural product especially as a result of cultivation the tree always yields good fruit

b : to produce or furnish as return this soil should yield good crops

c(1) : to produce as return from an expenditure or investment : furnish as profit or interest a bond that yields 12 percent

(2) : to produce as revenue : bring in the tax is expected to yield millions

2 : to give up possession of on claim or demand: such as

a : to surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another : hand over possession of

b : to give (oneself) up to an inclination, temptation, or habit

c : to relinquish one's possession of (something, such as a position of advantage or point of superiority) yield precedence

d : to surrender or submit (oneself) to another

e : to give up (one's breath, life, or spirit) and so die

3 : to give or render as fitting, rightfully owed, or required

4 : to give up (a hit or run) in baseball yielded two runs in the third inning

5 archaic : recompense, reward

intransitive verb

1 : to give way to pressure or influence : submit to urging, persuasion, or entreaty

2 : to give up and cease resistance or contention : submit, succumb facing an enemy who would not yield yielding to temptation

3 : to relinquish the floor of a legislative assembly

4 : to give way under physical force (such as bending, stretching, or breaking)

5a : to give place or precedence : acknowledge the superiority of someone else

b : to be inferior our dictionary yields to none

c : to give way to or become succeeded by someone or something else

6 : to be fruitful or productive : bear, produce

yield

noun

Definition of yield (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : something yielded : product especially : the amount or quantity produced or returned yield of wheat per acre

2 : the capacity of yielding produce

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about yield

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for yield

Verb

yield, submit, capitulate, succumb, relent, defer mean to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist. yield may apply to any sort or degree of giving way before force, argument, persuasion, or entreaty. yields too easily in any argument submit suggests full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another. a repentant sinner vowing to submit to the will of God capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance and may imply either a coming to terms (as with an adversary) or hopelessness in the face of an irresistible opposing force. officials capitulated to the protesters' demands succumb implies weakness and helplessness to the one that gives way or an overwhelming power to the opposing force. a stage actor succumbing to the lure of Hollywood relent implies a yielding through pity or mercy by one who holds the upper hand. finally relented and let the children stay up late defer implies a voluntary yielding or submitting out of respect or reverence for or deference and affection toward another. I defer to your expertise in these matters

synonyms see in addition relinquish

Examples of yield in a Sentence

Verb

The apple trees yielded an abundant harvest. This soil should yield good crops. The seeds yield a rich oil. New methods have yielded promising results in the field. The studies yielded clear evidence. The tax is expected to yield millions. The bond yields seven percent annually. After several hours of debate, the opposition yielded. I yield the floor to the Senator from Maine. I yield to the Senator.

Noun

Our yield of wheat increased this year. The average yield per tree is about one bushel. The yield on government bonds is currently seven percent.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Dividend-paying stocks have done well this year due to a flight to safety, as investors looking for high yields have found better options among stocks than low-yielding government bonds. — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, "AT&T chief executive defends the company's costly media acquisition strategy," 17 Sep. 2019 Close to 1,000 protesters have been arrested, including some of the city’s most high-profile young activists, while there have been hardly any arrests in relation to the attacks by rod-yielding thugs. — Ilaria Maria Sala, Quartz, "Hong Kong is having flashbacks to the bad old days of police corruption and mafia ties," 1 Sep. 2019 Sovereign bond yields across the globe are stuck nearall-time historic lows, with Germany issuing negatively-yielding 30-year debtfor the first time ever on Wednesday. — Lee Clifford, Fortune, "100 Year Bonds? Why ‘Ultra-Long’ Bonds Have Caught on in 14 Countries and Counting," 23 Aug. 2019 One farmer in the Punjab adopting high-yielding rice varieties led to a few others in the village the next season and then many. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: Drug addictions sap economy but vary regionally," 21 July 2019 Miami traded away former starter Ryan Tannehill in March after seven seasons, ending an era of the franchise which yielded years of subpar play and only one playoff appearance. — Safid Deen, sun-sentinel.com, "How does QB Josh Rosen fit into the Miami Dolphins’ plan in 2019 and beyond? | Countdown to camp," 17 July 2019 Area 51 also trended on Twitter for several hours, which yielded scores of jokes about what an event involving a bunch of anime fans and alien-seeking Facebook users would look like. — Allegra Frank, Vox, "More than 1 million people have RSVP’d to “storm Area 51,” in the name of memes," 15 July 2019 Bond yields surged, making traditionally high-yielding sectors such as utilities and real estate stocks less attractive. — CBS News, "Dow 27,000! A new high for blue-chip index, but stocks still face strains," 11 July 2019 Lake County government handled procurement for the project, which yielded five bids ranging from $8.7 million to $10.6 million, Hein said. — Jerry Fallstrom, orlandosentinel.com, "Groveland eagerly anticipates Public Safety Complex: ‘I can truly say I never saw it coming,’ fire chief says," 25 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The lowish yield should still be attractive to hedge funds who will gobble it up and fund their purchases of the bonds by selling Vodafone shares short. — Washington Post, "Vodafone’s $4.5 Billion Happy Meal for Hedge Funds," 18 Sep. 2019 But the wide use of low-yield cigarettes did not lower death rates for smokers. — Risa Robinson, The Conversation, "How a person vapes, not just what a person vapes, could also play a big role in vaping harm," 13 Sep. 2019 The average yield on a five-year CD is 1.22% — down from 1.32% a year ago and down from an average 2.23% in early September 2009. — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "How do you make more money when the Fed cuts rates?," 11 Sep. 2019 The high-yield modern agricultural techniques that gave poor old T. S. Eliot the willies feed humanity and are the principal reason the only famines the world has known in recent years have been man-made, created by politics. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Playing God," 8 Sep. 2019 The financial world is buzzing with an arcane sounding issue—the inverted yield curve. — Wired, "What Recession? Low Interest Rates Could Mean Tech-Fueled Growth," 4 Sep. 2019 The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.59% from 1.56% late Tuesday. — Alex Veiga, Anchorage Daily News, "U.S. stocks climb after major retailers post solid earnings," 21 Aug. 2019 The portfolio’s current yield is 2.2 percent, with an average maturity of two years. — Brian Lisik, cleveland.com, "Medina County treasurer says investment earnings are up 20 percent," 9 July 2019 Higher yields drive interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans higher, which drives up bank profits. — BostonGlobe.com, "Technology, financial, and consumer-focused stocks helped power the modest rally, which extended the market’s solid gains from the day before, despite losing some momentum in the final hour of trading. The benchmark S&P 500 index closed within 0.6 percent of its record high, set July 26.," 13 Sep. 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about yield

Dictionary Entries near yield

Statistics for yield

Last Updated

15 Oct 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for yield

The first known use of yield was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for yield

yield

noun

Financial Definition of yield

What It Is

Yield refers to the cash return to the owner of a security or investment.

How It Works

In general, yield is calculated as follows:

Periodic Cash Distributions / Total Cost of Investment = Yield

The term yield may refer to slightly different aspects of a return for variable types of investments. For example, a yield on bonds, such as the coupon yield is the annual interest paid on the principal amount of the bond. Current yield is the coupon yield on a bond at a specific point in the time before the bond maturity. A yield to maturity of a bond is the internal rate of return on a bond's cash flow, including the cost of the bonds, period payments from the bonds, if any, and the return of the principal at redemption.

[Use our Yield to Call (YTC) Calculator to measure your annual return if you hold a particular bond until its first call date.]

[Use our Yield to Maturity (YTM) Calculator to measure your annual return if you plan to hold a particular bond until maturity.]

In equities, yields on preferred shares are similar to bond yields. For example, the dividend yield is the total payments in a year from the preferred shares divided by the principal value of the preferred shares. The current yield refers to the annual payments divided by the current market price.

Why It Matters

While yields of various investments do not explain the reasons for the gains and losses, they may mask declines in the underlying value of the assets or the effects of inflation. Using the yield is a convenient way of comparing the returns on various financial investments.

Source: Investing Answers

yield

verb

English Language Learners Definition of yield

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to produce or provide (something, such as a plant or crop)

: to produce (something) as a result of time, effort, or work

: to produce (a profit, an amount of money, etc.)

yield

noun

English Language Learners Definition of yield (Entry 2 of 2)

: the amount of something that is produced by a plant, farm, etc.

: the profit made from an investment

See the full definition for yield in the English Language Learners Dictionary

yield

verb

\ ˈyēld

yielded; yielding

Kids Definition of yield

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to give (something) over to the power or control of another : surrender The troops would not yield the fort to the enemy.

2 : to give in He yielded to temptation.

3 : to produce as a natural product These trees yield fruit.

4 : to produce or give back as interest or profit The investment yielded eight percent annually.

5 : to be productive : bring good results The studies yielded proof of the theory.

6 : to stop opposing or objecting to something Jenner would not yield to my point of view, nor would I to his.— Robert C. O'Brien, Rats of NIMH

7 : to give way under physical force so as to bend, stretch, or break The rope yielded under the strain.

8 : to allow another person or vehicle to go first

yield

noun

Kids Definition of yield (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the amount produced or returned The high yield of wheat per acre increased.

2 : return entry 2 sense 7 The yield on government bonds is five percent.

Keep scrolling for more

yield

transitive verb

\ ˈyēld

Legal Definition of yield

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to produce as return from an expenditure or investment : furnish as profit or interest an account that yields 6 percent

intransitive verb

1 : to give place or precedence (as to one having a superior right or claim)

2 : to relinquish the floor of a legislative assembly yield to the senator from Maine

yield

noun

Legal Definition of yield (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : agricultural production especially per acre of crop

2 : the return on a financial investment usually expressed as a percentage of cost the bond yield was 8 percent

Keep scrolling for more

What language does pajama come from?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

yield

Definition of yield

Synonyms & Antonyms for yield

Choose the Right Synonym for yield

Examples of yield in a Sentence

First Known Use of yield

History and Etymology for yield

Learn More about yield

Dictionary Entries near yield

Statistics for yield

The first known use of yield was before the 12th century

Financial Definition of yield

English Language Learners Definition of yield

Kids Definition of yield

Legal Definition of yield

WORD OF THE DAY

belfry

Test Your Vocabulary

At the Root of ‘Cubicle’

Meet Puku, Our New Kids' App!

Where in the World? A Quiz

8 Meaty Idioms

On Contractions of Multiple Words