yawn

American  

[yawn] / jɔn /

verb (used without object)

yawns, present (3rd person singular) yawned, past participle, past yawning present participle

1. to open the mouth somewhat involuntarily with a prolonged, deep inhalation and sighing or heavy exhalation, as from drowsiness or boredom.

   Synonyms:

   gape

2. to open wide like a mouth.

   Synonyms:

   gape

3. to extend or stretch wide, as an open and deep space.

   Synonyms:

   gape

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verb (used with object)

yawns, present (3rd person singular) yawned, past participle, past yawning present participle

1. to say with a yawn.

2. Archaic. to open wide, or lay open, as if by yawning.

noun

yawns plural

1. an act or instance of yawning.

2. an opening; open space; chasm.

3. Informal. Also something so boring as to make one yawn.

   Critics say the new fashions are one big yawn.

yawn British  

/ jɔːn /

verb

1. (intr) to open the mouth wide and take in air deeply, often as in involuntary reaction to tiredness, sleepiness, or boredom

2. (tr) to express or utter while yawning

3. (intr) to be open wide as if threatening to engulf (someone or something)

   the mine shaft yawned below

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noun

1. the act or an instance of yawning

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• yawner
  noun
• yawning
  adjective
• yawningly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• yawns
  plural

Participles

• yawning
  present
• yawned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• yawn
  simple
• yawns
  simple
• have yawned
  perfect
• has yawned
  perfect
• am yawning
  progressive
• are yawning
  progressive
• is yawning
  progressive
• have been yawning
  perfect progressive
• has been yawning
  perfect progressive

Past

• yawned
  simple
• had yawned
  perfect
• was yawning
  progressive
• were yawning
  progressive
• had been yawning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will yawn
  simple
• will have yawned
  perfect
• will be yawning
  progressive
• will have been yawning
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

Aboard a luxury charter yacht led by Capt. Sandy Yawn and her chief steward, Aisha Scott, cameras catch the crew’s conflicts with each other while they also cater to their guests.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2024

With Captain Sandy Yawn at the helm of another boat sailing the Mediterranean, this season’s drama included someone on the crew having fake certifications and every person on deck getting sick.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024

In March, AdAge called her “TV Partnership’s Power Broker” and likened her to Captain Sandy Yawn of Bravo’s reality series Below Deck Mediterranean because she’s so even-tempered.

From Slate • May 12, 2023

The suit also claimed that Yawn received $3,500 monthly checks from a nonprofit Zobrist founded for two months after he was fired as executive director in March 2019.

From Fox News • Jul. 20, 2021

Yawn until you make some one else yawn.

From What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes by Fisher, Dorothy Canfield