yammer

American  

[yam-er] / ˈyæm ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to whine or complain.

2. to make an outcry or clamor.

3. to talk loudly and persistently.

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verb (used with object)

1. to utter clamorously, persistently, or in complaint.

   They yammered their complaints until she let them see the movie.

noun

1. the act or noise of yammering.

yammer British  

/ ˈjæmə /

verb

1. to utter or whine in a complaining or peevish manner

2. to make (a complaint) loudly or persistently

3. (intr) (esp of an animal) to howl or wail plaintively or distressingly; yelp or yowl

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noun

1. a yammering sound, wail, or utterance

2. nonsense; jabber

Other Word Forms

• yammerer
  noun
• yammeringly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of yammer

1275–1325; Middle English yameren (v.) < Middle Dutch jam(m ) eren, replacing Middle English yomeren, Old English gēomrian to complain, derivative of gēomor sad; akin to German Jammer lamentation

Explanation

To yammer is to make a loud, howling sound, or to talk on and on about nothing much at all. When cats yammer outside your window all night long, it's hard to fall asleep. You might complain about the way your neighbors yammer loudly in their yard early in the morning, or about the fact that your brothers yammer and fight all through dinner. Whether a person, an animal, or an inanimate object like a motorcycle yammers, it makes a pretty annoying sound. In the fifteenth century, yammer meant "to lament," from the Old English root geomor, "sorrowful."

Example Sentences

Yammer, Outlook, and other Office apps will see the emoji updates soon after, too.

From The Verge • Jul. 15, 2021

InReach Ventures was founded by Roberto Bonanzinga and John Mesrie, both previously at Balderton Capital, and Ben Smith, formerly at Microsoft’s teamworking tool Yammer.

From Reuters • Feb. 12, 2019

In addition to hiring Mr. Hamid, known for backing Slack, Box and Yammer, the firm recently brought on Ilya Fushman, a former investor at Index Ventures.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2018

It’s the arrogance of Yammer CEO David Sack’s $125 million “Let Them Eat Cake”–themed birthday party.

From Slate • May 24, 2016

"She is caught, trapped in a net of delusion and hallucination that is as solid as a block of steel," Dr. Yammer had once said, his voice precise with authoritarian certainty.

From Sinister Paradise by Williams, Robert Moore