yawn 1 of 2

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

yawn

2 of 2

verb

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
On the Thursday, July 10 episode of the 3rd Hour of Today, Melvin, 46, got called out for yawning during an interview with ‘80s icon Rick Springfield. Rachel McRady, People.com, 10 July 2025 The study, detailed this week in the journal Scientific Reports, found that a slight majority (57.1 percent) of adult chimpanzees observed would yawn in response to seeing the android head yawn. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 June 2025
Verb
Actors know all too well that every word can elicit a standing ovation… or a yawn. Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025 Every media outlet will cover your games with a yawn and a shrug. Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for yawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yawn
Noun
  • Her books were their progeny, Stein acknowledged, and without Alice’s mothering—and typing, proofreading, cooking, sewing, shopping, bookkeeping, and warding off bores—they might not have been born.
    Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Employees, guests and residents were forced to hastily evacuate as a wildfire bore down.
    Ryan Heinsius, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Howard, still half-asleep, makes snuffling, snoring noises, and looks blearily at the camera.
    Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
  • By the time Cali finished her drink, Ronny was snoring.
    Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • If that spat was a microdose, Longstaff’s performance was a 90-minute saline drip of all-action brilliance that cured any ailment.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The homes of the legendary architect, who pushed the limits of design and technology, are well-known for their drip, drip, drips, even when they aren’t perched on water features.
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The instructor reminds the class to be a buddy not a bully and everyone hears your dad snort.
    Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The revealed truth therein was that the band had been snorting truckloads of cocaine in between concerts, photo-ops, miscellaneous recording sessions with Johnny Depp, and ‘Cool Britannia’ press junkets, shaking hands with Tony Blair.
    Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • If nothing else, his wealth of experience, ability to recognize coverages and check the Browns into advantageous situations should be the bare minimum for an offense gasping for life.
    Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The man who once made Madison Square Garden erupt now gives book clubs a reason to gasp.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But the little dog isn’t tempted to even sniff it.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
  • His boss seems unusually chill with the deception, mostly because this lad might be helpful for sniffing out other moles and double agents in their field.
    Vulture Editors, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In front of them, warthogs snuffled around in the grass.
    Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 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
Verb
  • The film wheezes through its less-than-80-minute running time, and no one seems all that sad to move on.
    Will Leitch, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The drilling was coming from the massive construction project next door, which eventually gave way to cartloads of rocks and dirt that wheezed out dust that clogged the air-conditioner.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Yawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yawn. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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