yawn Hear it!

yawn Definition

yawn (yôn)

intransitive verb

  1. to open the mouth wide, esp. involuntarily, and breathe in deeply, as a result of fatigue, drowsiness, or boredom
  2. to be or become wide open; gape a yawning chasm

Etymology: ME yanen, prob. merging OE ginian & ganian, to gape, akin to Ger gähnen < IE base *ĝhei-, to gape, prob. echoic of the yawning sound > Gr chainein, L hiare, to gape

transitive verb

to express or utter with a yawn

noun

  1. an act of yawning or opening wide
  2. a wide opening; chasm

yawn Synonyms

yawn

v.

  1. To open wide

    gape, split open, spread out, expand, give, gap, part; see also divide 1, grow 1.

    Antonyms close*, shut*, come together.

  2. To give evidence of drowsiness

    gape, stretch, be sleepy, make a yawning sound, show weariness; see also sleep, tire 1.

yawn Usage Examples

Object

  • chasm: The same crack extended below in the form of a yawning chasm, five or six feet wide.
  • gulf: On the Middle East a difference in emphasis has become a yawning gulf.
  • gap: There is little short of five years left during which to bridge what is a yawning gap.
  • mouth: We entered into the yawning mouth of the cave.
  • lot: I also yawn a lot when I have a migraine.
  • hole: A yawning hole was all that was to be seen.

Converse of object

  • stifle: Mr Blair himself was seen to stifle a yawn.
  • give: He walked straight past our viewing deck and gave a huge yawn.
  • suppress: Mavis examines Punta Arenas's metal shepherd statue with a barely suppressed yawn.
  • have: Pull faces in the loo mirror, have a big yawn or chew a pretend toffee.

Adjective modifier

  • huge: He walked straight past our viewing deck and gave a huge yawn.
  • big: Pull faces in the loo mirror, have a big yawn or chew a pretend toffee.
  • great: Of course he usually slept during my talk, sometimes waking up in the middle to have a great big yawn.

Adjective complement

  • open: I will open a blind Came a click, and then a window in the outer case yawned open.

Modifying Another Word

  • again: I shouldn't like to have to set and reset it every time, though. ' Viv yawned again.
  • still: I also found bagpuss that still yawns when you press his mouth.
  • loudly: The rocking motion of the train soon had its passengers yawning loudly.
  • then: She yawned but once, then yawned again, She yawned and yawned nine times or ten.
  • widely: Because many primary and secondary schools had managed to close the gap, or at least to stop it yawning so widely.
  • probably: If you see someone yawning, you will probably yawn.

Browse dictionary entries near yawn

  1. yawl
  2. Yawata
  3. yaw
  4. yautia
  5. yaupon
  6. yaup
  7. yauld
  8. yatter
  9. yataghan
  10. yashmak
  1. yawner
  2. yawp
  3. yaws
  4. yay
  5. Yazoo
  6. Yb
  7. yclept
  8. yd
  9. ye
  10. yea