yodel

1 of 2

verb

yo·​del ˈyō-dᵊl How to pronounce yodel (audio)
yodeled or yodelled; yodeling or yodelling ˈyōd-liŋ How to pronounce yodel (audio)
ˈyō-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to sing by suddenly changing from a natural voice to a falsetto and back
also : to shout or call in a similar manner

transitive verb

: to sing (a tune) by yodeling
yodeler
ˈyōd-lər How to pronounce yodel (audio)
ˈyō-dᵊl-ər
noun

yodel

2 of 2

noun

: a song or refrain sung by yodeling
also : a yodeled shout or cry

Examples of yodel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Sadie: Every morning at 6 a.m., a bird yodeled outside my window at Rancho de la Luna. Daniel Kohn, Spin, 1 Sep. 2023 If Chris or Julia were to yodel from their accommodation, the celebs would almost definitely hear them in camp. Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 13 Apr. 2023 Mingle With Austrian nobility, learn to yodel, and enjoy after-hours tours on this Uniworld journey from Salzburg to Budapest. Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2023 Around us were families, couples, people shouting, babies crying, yodelling, banjos, bongos. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2023 While the ship is docked in Grein, a local singer will come on board and teach you how to yodel. Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2023 Neil Salsich isn’t strictly a country singer, but the guy sure can yodel. Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 7 Mar. 2023 The Walmart yodeling boy probably thought the same was true for him. Mikael Wood, latimes.com, 19 June 2019 The first is marked by a yodeling refrain that places what's to come somewhere between Appalachia and the Alps, befitting a quintet that spans time, space and subject matter, united only by Coen's singular voice. Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2019
Noun
While nobody knows exactly how yodel dogs first crossed the Great River, equally few could question their prominence in the 21st century. Hampton Bourne, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023 Coyote howls are high-pitched and often preceded and interspersed with yips, cackles, and yodels. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023 That yodel made it into this intro, alongside some other magic-conjuring field recordings, and the no-input mixing from Audrey. Daniel Kohn, Spin, 1 Sep. 2023 Mike added the long ‘California’ yodel and the bridge and was exactly what the song needed. Spin Staff, Spin, 22 Aug. 2023 The yodel goes on for a full 11 seconds. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021 His uniqueness includes singing in unison with a fast guitar lick, using falsetto and maybe an occasional yodel and writing complex and difficult-to-perform guitar parts. Sheryl Devore, chicagotribune.com, 4 May 2021 And adding to the sustained yodel of Swiss pride are 16 life-size, fiberglass cows popping up all over town, decked in folk costumes that would do Heidi proud. Raphael Kadushin, National Geographic, 7 Aug. 2020 The bleacher bums behind me began to emit guttural effusions, a sort of existential, yowling yodel. Michael Powell, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yodel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

German jodeln

First Known Use

Verb

1827, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yodel was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near yodel

Cite this Entry

“Yodel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yodel. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

yodel

verb
yo·​del
ˈyōd-ᵊl
yodeled or yodelled; yodeling or yodelling
ˈyōd-liŋ,
-ᵊl-iŋ
: to sing while frequently going back and forth between the range of one's natural voice and a higher range
also : to shout or call in this manner
yodel noun
yodeler
ˈyōd-lər
-ᵊl-ər
noun

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