yarn

[ yahrn ]

noun

1. thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving.
2. a continuous strand or thread made from glass, metal, plastic, etc.
3. the thread, in the form of a loosely twisted aggregate of fibers, as of hemp, of which rope is made rope yarn.
4. a tale, especially a long story of adventure or incredible happenings:

   He spun a yarn that outdid any I had ever heard.

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to spin a yarn; tell stories.

yarn

/ jɑːn /

noun

1. a continuous twisted strand of natural or synthetic fibres, used in weaving, knitting, etc
2. informal.
   a long and often involved story or account, usually telling of incredible or fantastic events
3. spin a yarn informal.
   1. to tell such a story
   2. to make up or relate a series of excuses

verb

1. intr to tell such a story or stories

Word History and Origins

Origin of yarn¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English gearn; cognate with German Garn; akin to Old Norse gǫrn gut, Greek chordḗ intestine, chord ¹, Lithuanian žarnà entrails, Latin hernia a rupture, Sanskrit hirā vein

Word History and Origins

Origin of yarn¹

Old English gearn; related to Old High German garn yarn, Old Norse görn gut, Greek khordē string, gut

Idioms and Phrases

see spin a yarn .

Example Sentences

To that regard, Mulaney opens with its star spinning a longer joke-yarn based on something that had really happened to him.

From The Daily Beast

Many of us strike a happy medium, leaving enough wiggle room with reality to spin a good yarn.

From The Daily Beast

But at least according to its creator, it's also a meta-page-turning crime yarn—a story about storytelling.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps that's why Goldfarb didn't comment any further on his yarn.

From The Daily Beast

I got a bit of flak for interviewing Kelley, though the story was widely picked up: why dive into this tabloid yarn?

From The Daily Beast

I didn't take much stock in the yarn at the time, but I'm beginning to think he had it straight.

From Project Gutenberg

Without embarking on another endless yarn let me note the fact that there are two schools amongst our brethren afloat.

From Project Gutenberg

You can probably realize just how headquarters would take the sort of yarn we'd spin if we dashed in and told them the truth.

From Project Gutenberg

Before that time we always put rope-yarn between the lap of the boiler-plates to make the seams tight.

From Project Gutenberg

He said, 'Now you shall never make another boiler for me with rope-yarn.'

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fleece
• thread
• wool