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
David Opie, IndieWire, 4 Dec. 2025
Even though the official Survivor 49 pre-merge emoji might be a big fat yawn (or, perhaps a chicken screaming for mercy), there are signs that Probst did not even need to give his pre-challenge pep talk.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for yawn
Noun
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
Even though the official Survivor 49 pre-merge emoji might be a big fat yawn (or, perhaps a chicken screaming for mercy), there are signs that Probst did not even need to give his pre-challenge pep talk.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
Unfortunately, the state is not alone in being plagued by yawning gaps between income and outgo.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for yawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yawn
Noun
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Marchand did not see the ice in OT but calmly stepped to the center dot, bore in on Korpisalo and beat him over the glove with a pretty backhander, a move Pastrnak knows well.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
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This civic attitude kicked into high gear as ICE bore down on the state.—
Eric Roper,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the last 20 minutes, Iron Lung finally arrives somewhere almost interesting, but by that point, a man sitting in the row ahead of me had been loudly snoring for more than an hour.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
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Grandpa snoring near the fireplace, kids watching Rudolph.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Managing soil health and inputs like water and installing drip irrigation helps stabilize the yield and quality of cotton.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
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The spa offers everything from traditional services such as massages and facials to biohacking, IV drips and energy work.—
Shelby Hartman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The dialogue is as disarmingly earnest as that between two strangers snorting coke in a bathroom.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Jan. 2026
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Other episodes of the series will follow a bodybuilder obsessed with having a bulky physique, a woman who blends and snorts all her food, individuals addicted to eating grass, makeup and cardboard, and even a veteran with PTSD who filled his home with more than a hundred snakes.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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By that point, Illinois was already rolling, well on their way to a 101-65 victory that left USC gasping for air.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Three years ago, the other members of Team USA all but gasped at his promise.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Photos show the stacks of cash were well disguised among other boxes in the trailer, but a drug-sniffing K-9 was not fooled, police said.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
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Security measures include comprehensive surveillance, bomb-sniffing dogs, and aerial radiation surveys.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 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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The old boiler wheezed and stalled, the roof sprang leaks, half-century-old pipes cracked, and the lobby intercom was defunct.—
Michael Powell,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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Taken together, these factors can lead to children wheezing and experiencing difficulty breathing, leaving them with bluish colored skin from a lack of oxygen.—
Michael Cromer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yawn. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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