used to express fear or astonishment
Yikes! The pavement is hot!Scott Foresman
Another monster crawled through a different doorway, quickly followed by a third, and then a fourth. "Yikes!" said Annie.Mary Pope Osborne
Yikes! The 'mullet' rears its ugly head again …Vanessa Thorpe

Examples of yikes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some pretty young things throw a pool party at an Oahu home and — yikes! Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026 Those are still discounts off the monthly rates, but … yikes! Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably alteration of yoicks

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yikes was in 1941

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yikes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yikes. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

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