Synonyms

yay

¹ American

[yey] / yeɪ /

interjection

Informal.

(an exclamation used to express joy, excitement, etc.)

yay ² American

[yey] / yeɪ /

Or yea

adverb

Informal.

to the extent, amount, etc., indicated.

The doll is about yay high.

yay British

/ jeɪ /

interjection

informal an exclamation indicating approval, congratulation, or triumph

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of yay¹

First recorded in 1960–65; perhaps alteration of yeah

Origin of yay²

Probably < yea

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.

Friends pilot the plane that’s skywriting the words YAY, YOU! across your universe.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2022

Every time Molly Yeh shares a recipe, we say YAY!

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2021

"My pretty dears," sez I, "shall we YAY agin?"

From The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 1: Essays, Sketches, and Letters by Ward, Artemus

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

yay

interjection

adverb

interjection

Etymology

Origin of yay1

Origin of yay2

Example Sentences

Origin of yay¹

Origin of yay²