yawn
Americanverb (used without object)
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yawns,
present (3rd person singular)
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yawned,
past participle, past
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yawning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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yawns,
present (3rd person singular)
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yawned,
past participle, past
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yawning
present participle
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to say with a yawn.
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Archaic. to open wide, or lay open, as if by yawning.
noun
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yawns
plural
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an act or instance of yawning.
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an opening; open space; chasm.
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Informal. Also something so boring as to make one yawn.
Critics say the new fashions are one big yawn.
verb
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(intr) to open the mouth wide and take in air deeply, often as in involuntary reaction to tiredness, sleepiness, or boredom
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(tr) to express or utter while yawning
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(intr) to be open wide as if threatening to engulf (someone or something)
the mine shaft yawned below
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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yawnsimple
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yawnssimple
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have yawnedperfect
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has yawnedperfect
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am yawningprogressive
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are yawningprogressive
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is yawningprogressive
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have been yawningperfect progressive
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has been yawningperfect progressive
Past
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yawnedsimple
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had yawnedperfect
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was yawningprogressive
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were yawningprogressive
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had been yawningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of yawn
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb yanen, yonen, alteration of yenen, Old English ge(o)nian; akin to Old English gānian, ginan, Old Norse gīna, German gähnen, Latin hiāre “to be wide open, gape,” Greek chaínein “to gape”; cf. hiatus, dehisce ( def. ), chasm
Explanation
The reflex that makes you open your mouth wide, inhale, and then exhale is called a yawn. Even seeing photos of other people's yawns (or reading the word yawn) can make you yawn. We yawn when we're very bored or tired, or when our bodies need an influx of oxygen. Scientists aren't completely in agreement about all the reasons why we yawn, but the "contagious yawn" happens across all human societies and even in non-human animals like chimpanzees and dogs. Things can also yawn in a figurative way, when they're open wide. Yawn comes from gionian in Old English, "open the mouth wide."
Vocabulary lists containing yawn
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The snoozefest - which involved reluctant traitor James Acaster making faithful Ross Kemp yawn by boring him to tears - meant the paranoid EastEnders star was finally put out of his misery.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Weintraub stares blankly, Wiatt stifles a yawn, and I can’t get a clear read on Wirtschafter, though he’s not screaming hallelujah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Or, in other words, pour yourself a cup of ambition and yawn and stretch and try to come to life.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
While the initial reaction in the stock market was a collective yawn, a five-year lookback shows that long-term investors have been treated very well by the company’s board of directors.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026
He stretched backward, stifling a yawn, then scratched his head and brought his fingers down to fiddle with a hole in his string vest.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
“All of this happening so soon is kind of breathless,” he says through yawns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Contra all the stifled yawns and thinly veiled condescension, the contest — now in its final stretch — is the most compelling California gubernatorial campaign in decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
“Today’s market yawns at the risk only because Iran talks tough, but hasn’t pulled the trigger, ever,” Raj said.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026
This account reposts tons of cute videos—of snuggles, leaps, yawns, and naps.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2024
And gradually, it all became natural: light steps, small stitches, quiet voice, ramrod-straight back, deep curtsies without creaking knees, no yawns, soup tilted away from me, and no slurping.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
He yawned in his booking photograph, which showed the tattoos that cover his face and head: A “B” on his chin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
One theme that runs through Mr. Burstein’s account is the gap that often yawned between Jefferson’s image and his private thoughts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Undercover Boss” premiered during the Great Recession, when the wage gap had yawned into a canyon.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
Pimblett, who yawned after sitting down, looked disinterested for the majority of the news conference before being sparked into life by Ferguson.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2023
He yawned in response and then watched as Esperanza covered her own mouth.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
First, companies spent on software and other technologies to improve production at a time of yawning labor shortages.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Maya and James A were left yawning ever more widely in the desperate hope that the other two would join in, before the credits rolled.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
In interviews, several of his children described the yawning hole that his death had left in their lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
“Even if inflation does move considerably toward the target, certain fundamentals that were already underpinning longer term rates remain in place, such as record-level borrowing by the U.S. and yawning budget gaps,” he says.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
I think of how late Rania stayed, her yawning mouth, and her phone calls with her mother and Lovebug.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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