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yawn 1 of 2

noun

Definition of yawnnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

yawn

2 of 2

verb

as in to snore

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of yawn
Noun
At moments in the song, Minogue pitches the word down, a cavernous yawn resounding far from the lub-dub of forever. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 26 July 2026 As the wealth gap yawns ever wider, this has become a favorite question for storytellers to explore. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
Verb
Eventually Ursula yawns and lumbers out of the den, with the cubs following. — Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2026 But now a desolate school year, long and full of needs not her own, yawned. — Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for yawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yawn
  1. bore
  2. snore
  3. drip
  4. snort
  5. gasp
  6. sniff
  7. snuffle
  8. wheeze
Noun
  • Snow recently did an in-depth shoot-out of quarter-bore cartridges, new and old.
    — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Virtually all those trips involved hassle that was a bore to write about and just as boring to read.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bore
Verb
  • For anyone living in a household where someone snores, wakes up with headaches or drags through the day, Jack Black’s candid podcast conversation about his CPAP machine offers a familiar reference point.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
  • As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began flowing, Ramey took a deep breath, sputtered and began snoring.
    — MICHAEL GRACZYK, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of snore
Noun
  • Along with biotech firms researching cell aging and regeneration, the burgeoning business of longevity also includes the surge in demand for peptides, testosterone and supplements, along with IV drips, red-light therapies and biomarker trackers.
    — Robert Frank, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Step 5 Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag.
    — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of drip
Verb
  • Brylan May, who met McCollough through her legal internship at the Writers Guild of America West in 2024, recalls once seeing McCollough snort a line of cocaine at a party and immediately throw up.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The former Oasis frontman told a particularly funny story about a flare up back in 1994, where a few fans of the band tried to snort his psoriasis.
    — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of snort
Verb
  • The restaurant next to the nearby police department is shuttered; the restaurant across the street from it is long dead, and the once-vibrant downtown — which generated revenue that benefited every neighborhood of the city — is gasping.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Pauses in breathing, gasping or daytime fatigue point to sleep apnea and require professional medical evaluation.
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of gasp
Verb
  • In the late 1950s, Johnny and Vivian Cash, his first wife, along with their three daughters, moved from Memphis, Tennessee to California as the fabled singer sniffed out a potential career in Hollywood, like his contemporary Elvis Presley.
    — David G. Allan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
  • When The Associated Press visited Sunday, Tigrino cautiously emerged from his shelter, sniffed the air and paced around for a few minutes before slipping back into the foliage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of sniff
Verb
  • Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.
    — Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
  • 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
Definition of snuffle
Verb
  • The defense struggled a bit in the first half with the reserves on the field even after producing a second-quarter interception, and the offense also gasped and wheezed with the reserves on the field.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Lung inflammation makes breathing tougher and coughing and wheezing more frequent.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of wheeze

Browse Nearby Words

yawls
yawn
yawned
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yawn. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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