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yo-yo definition

yo·-yo (yō′)

noun pl. yo-yos yo′·-yos′

  1. a spool-like toy attached to one end of a string upon which it may be made to spin up and down
  2. Slang a person regarded as stupid, ineffectual, inept, eccentric, etc.

Etymology: < ?: the toy came to the U.S. from the Philippines

adjective

Informal up-and-down; fluctuating; variable

intransitive verb yo-yoed yo′·-yoed′, yo-yoing yo′·-yo′ing

Informal to move up and down; fluctuate; vary

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

yo-yo Usage Examples

Possessives

  • effect: Zooming in and then out creates an ugly ' yo-yo ' effect.

Adjective modifier

  • human: You will be a human yo-yo with the ground rushing up to meet you and falling away just as quickly!

Modifies a noun

  • dieter: Leila had been a yo-yo dieter for most of her adult life.
yo-yo usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"yo-yo." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/yo-yo>

APA Style

yo-yo. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/yo-yo

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