Synonyms

yeah

American

[yai] / yɛə /

adverb

Informal.

yes.

yeah British

/ jɛə /

an informal word for yes

"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 yeah

1900–05; variant of yea or yes

Explanation

Yeah is a casual form of yes. When you’re hanging out with someone you really look up to and they ask you if you want to go to a party, play it cool by saying “Yeah, sure,” instead of “Yes! I’d love to!” You would almost never write “yeah” unless you were trying to mimic the sound of talking. If someone says, "Yeah, right," they’re not casually telling you you’re right. They’re ironically saying “Not likely.” And if someone interrupts you while you’re talking and says “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” it means, “I already know that—–get on with it!.”

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Clarke: Yeah, he had chords, and you had a singer.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Elliot: Yeah, I think it was the trials - I think I played under-sevens to under-nines.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Elliot: Yeah, he went on Love Island, external actually a few years ago!

From BBC • May 2, 2026

"Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn't I?"

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Yeah, there was something else, something still stuck inside me.

From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli

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