plural yokes
1
a
: a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (such as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together
b
: an arched device formerly laid on the neck of a defeated person
c
: a frame fitted to a person's shoulders to carry a load in two equal portions
d
: a bar by which the end of the tongue of a wagon or carriage is suspended from the collars of the harness
e(1)
: a crosspiece on the head of a boat's rudder
(2)
: an airplane control operating the elevators and ailerons
f
: a frame from which a bell is hung
g
: a clamp or similar piece that embraces two parts to hold or unite them in position
2
4
: a fitted or shaped piece at the top of a skirt or at the shoulder of various garments
yoked; yoking
1
a(1)
: to put a yoke on
(2)
: to join in or with a yoke
b
: to attach a draft animal to
also
: to attach (a draft animal) to something
2
: to join as if by a yoke
3
: to put to work
: to become joined or linked
Synonyms
Examples of yoke in a Sentence
Noun
a people able at last to throw off the yoke and to embrace freedom
Verb
The two oxen were yoked together.
yoked several ideas together to come up with a new theory
Recent Examples on the Web
Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 5 June 2023
The pilot of a small plane made an emergency landing at Norwood Memorial Airport Friday after a passenger with a developmental disorder grabbed the control yoke and started twisting it around, officials said.
—John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023
Germans demanded national unification in addition to constitutions, northern Italians threw off the Austrian yoke, Romans scared off the pope, and Hungarians fought for liberation from the Austrian Empire.
—Lynn Hunt, The New York Review of Books, 14 Sep. 2023
Along with the info displayed on the gauges and the steering yoke, drivers can monitor the battery's temperature as well as its state of charge via colored displays on either side of the cockpit.
—Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023
By filming the drive himself from the driver’s seat and also interacting with Twitter commenters during the drive, Musk is ignoring his own company’s guidelines that advise drivers to keep their hands on the steering yoke at all times.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
This moderately compressing legging has a high-rise waist and back yoke for a form-flattering look.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023
The question drew loud boos from the crowd in the country that came out from under the yoke of Russian rule in 1991 following the fall of the Soviet Union.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2023
The two most popular control systems are hands-on throttle-and-sticks, or HOTAS, and flight yokes.
—Harry Rabinowitz and Matt Ng, Popular Mechanics, 1 Mar. 2023
Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 19 July 2023
Rooted in the history and the canonical repertoire of theatre, but yoked dramaturgically to hyper-current rhythms and attitudes and styles, the TikToks showed that Harris could do what the big arts institutions couldn’t—keep up.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023
For Modi, a staunch nationalist who often yokes his image to grand symbols of India’s growing stature, the landing represented a personal triumph.
—Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up The trial yokes together three different cases, meaning Jones could rule for the challengers in some instances and not others.
—Jeff Amy, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
Given the circumstances in which the team arrived at this tournament, on the back of a year of mutiny and recrimination and strife, two sides of an intractable divide uneasily and most likely temporarily yoked together, that in itself is a formidable achievement.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The emissions reductions, however, are not yoked to production.
—Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
And President Biden’s relatively timid rhetoric has been hammered by Republican opponents, who have yoked themselves to the mast of a far-right Israel government that makes little attempt to hide its aims to carry out de facto — perhaps even de jure — annexation of Palestinian lands.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2023
And yet, the Grand Canyon remains yoked to the present in one key respect.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 6 June 2023
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Noun
After officially tapping out while trying to match Hooper's staggering 1,000 pounds yoke, Tennyson moves onto the next strongman event of the day; the log press.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 5 June 2023
The pilot of a small plane made an emergency landing at Norwood Memorial Airport Friday after a passenger with a developmental disorder grabbed the control yoke and started twisting it around, officials said.
—John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023
Germans demanded national unification in addition to constitutions, northern Italians threw off the Austrian yoke, Romans scared off the pope, and Hungarians fought for liberation from the Austrian Empire.
—Lynn Hunt, The New York Review of Books, 14 Sep. 2023
Along with the info displayed on the gauges and the steering yoke, drivers can monitor the battery's temperature as well as its state of charge via colored displays on either side of the cockpit.
—Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023
By filming the drive himself from the driver’s seat and also interacting with Twitter commenters during the drive, Musk is ignoring his own company’s guidelines that advise drivers to keep their hands on the steering yoke at all times.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2023
This moderately compressing legging has a high-rise waist and back yoke for a form-flattering look.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023
The question drew loud boos from the crowd in the country that came out from under the yoke of Russian rule in 1991 following the fall of the Soviet Union.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2023
The two most popular control systems are hands-on throttle-and-sticks, or HOTAS, and flight yokes.
—Harry Rabinowitz and Matt Ng, Popular Mechanics, 1 Mar. 2023
Verb
Biden hosts Israel’s Herzog amid tensions between two nations
But Republican lawmakers in Washington have seemingly yoked their agenda to the far-right Israeli settler movement and influential right-wing pro-Israel groups in the United States.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 19 July 2023
Rooted in the history and the canonical repertoire of theatre, but yoked dramaturgically to hyper-current rhythms and attitudes and styles, the TikToks showed that Harris could do what the big arts institutions couldn’t—keep up.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023
For Modi, a staunch nationalist who often yokes his image to grand symbols of India’s growing stature, the landing represented a personal triumph.
—Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up The trial yokes together three different cases, meaning Jones could rule for the challengers in some instances and not others.
—Jeff Amy, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
Given the circumstances in which the team arrived at this tournament, on the back of a year of mutiny and recrimination and strife, two sides of an intractable divide uneasily and most likely temporarily yoked together, that in itself is a formidable achievement.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The emissions reductions, however, are not yoked to production.
—Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
And President Biden’s relatively timid rhetoric has been hammered by Republican opponents, who have yoked themselves to the mast of a far-right Israel government that makes little attempt to hide its aims to carry out de facto — perhaps even de jure — annexation of Palestinian lands.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 July 2023
And yet, the Grand Canyon remains yoked to the present in one key respect.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 6 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yoke.' 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
Noun
Middle English yok, from Old English geoc; akin to Old High German joh yoke, Latin jugum, Greek zygon, Sanskrit yuga, Latin jungere to join
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)
Time Traveler
The first known use of yoke was
before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near yoke
Cite this Entry
“Yoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoke. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
yoke
1 of 2 noun
plural yokes
1
a
: a wooden bar or frame by which two work animals (as oxen) are joined at their heads or necks for pulling a plow or load
b
: a frame fitted to a person's shoulders to carry a load in two equal portions
c
: a clamp or brace that holds or unites two parts
2
plural usually yoke
: two animals yoked together
3
a
: something that brings about a state of hardship, pain, or slavery
b
4
: a fitted or shaped piece at the top of a skirt or at the shoulder of a garment
yoke
2 of 2 verb
yoked; yoking
1
: to put a yoke on
2
: to attach (a work animal) to something
yoke a horse to a cart
3
: to join as if by a yoke
4
: to put to work
More from Merriam-Webster on yoke
Nglish: Translation of yoke for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of yoke for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yoke
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