as in bore
someone or something boring
as neither candidate was willing to make an unequivocal statement about anything, the debate proved to be a complete yawn
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Recent Examples of yawn
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Saliva, a yawn, even the sound of hair being twirled crackles with intensity thanks to Julij Zornik’s stark sound design.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 4 Dec. 2025
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2025
There are yawning divisions internally about the credibility of coverage, with many in the Jewish community attacking BBC News’ output as being anti-Israeli, pointing to failings, including Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which was revealed to have been narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yawn
Noun
Chris and Jason are fun to look at, but their personalities give me an intense case of the yawns.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Saliva, a yawn, even the sound of hair being twirled crackles with intensity thanks to Julij Zornik’s stark sound design.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
San Diego State led the Toreros by 24 at the break and yawned its way to an 87-54 win in the final preseason basketball exhibition for both schools.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2025
There are yawning divisions internally about the credibility of coverage, with many in the Jewish community attacking BBC News’ output as being anti-Israeli, pointing to failings, including Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which was revealed to have been narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yawn
Noun
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The show’s one and only joke is that the story is played more or less straight and true to the language of soap operas with pregnant pauses, cheesy music cues, and melodramatic reveals — which is funny for a few scenes before turning into a laughless bore.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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After the strike the fish bore away but then came topside to jump.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mouth breathing is also closely tied to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, both of which compound the cardiovascular risk over time.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
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One officer says Martin, who remains handcuffed on the floor, seems to be tired, as Martin at times appears to snore.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Health alerts to medical providers have slowed to a drip.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
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Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip back into bowl.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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May snorted when asked if May tripped Yaxel Lendeborg.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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This often results in a choking, snorting, or gasping sound as normal breathing resumes.—
Daniel Combs,
Verywell Health,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Olivia Miles makes the types of nifty passes that can leave fans gasping in astonishment.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Now, a walk down the block with his kids leaves him gasping for breath and reaching for his oxygen tank.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The speedy outfielder hadn’t sniffed the big leagues in five years.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
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The technique creates genetic probes that can sniff out the canid DNA from the microbial DNA that can contaminate very old remains.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In front of them, warthogs snuffled around in the grass.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
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Next to arrive is her disembodied trunk, with a mind of its own, snuffling out friends and enemies and food.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2024
Verb
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Many of the cats were underweight with bones showing, and some suffering from respiratory infections were wheezing and had discharge around their eyes and noses.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Noah, however, couldn't run the length of a football field without wheezing.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yawn. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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