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:
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
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
Zack Baun’s last name rhymes with yawn, and that was pretty much the reaction a year ago when the Philadelphia Eagles signed him as a free agent out of New Orleans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
Some of our contagious behaviors are involuntary; for example, if someone yawns in our vicinity, we might find ourselves also trying to suppress a yawn.
From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2025
“Why do we always start so early?” said Scruffy, stretching into a yawn.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
“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
Kiritsis is screaming mad and the police’s yawns aren’t helping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
This account reposts tons of cute videos—of snuggles, leaps, yawns, and naps.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2024
Their working relationship informs their riveting performances, but the consideration each has for their vampire’s lot translates into a palpable yearning, or the type of regret that yawns with an unhinged jaw.
From Salon ● May 26, 2024
I can still hear Mrs. King, spine straight and shrill voice booming: "How does this book make you feeU" She then made a few exaggerated yawns.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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
Newspapers have felt it for decades, part of a system whose fractures have yawned into complete breaks.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2025
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
The dollar-yen pair traditionally tracks the gap between the countries' long-term yields, which has yawned to 380 basis points in the dollar's favour.
From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2023
After his meal, Gogolev belched, yawned, excused himself for a few hours of “personal reflection,” and left them to their own devices.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Before the advent of yawning, warehouse-sized big-box stores, print catalogs served as portals to the future.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
It was even worse a couple of years ago, but this is still a yawning gap the automaker has to close, Chief Executive Jim Farley said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Of rising concern in Europe is the yawning trade gap between China and the 27-nation EU, as the flow of cheap Chinese imports keeps rising.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Those yawning at the contest may be looking for glitz and entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Everybody stayed until around midnight when Nan made such a show of yawning, they took the hint and started heading out.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
