yak
1 Americannoun
-
a large, stocky, shaggy-haired wild ox, Bos grunniens, of the Tibetan highlands, having long, curved horns: endangered.
-
a domesticated variety of this animal.
verb (used without object)
-
yaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
yakked,
past participle, past
-
yakking
present participle
noun
noun
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
yaksimple
-
yakssimple
-
have yakkedperfect
-
has yakkedperfect
-
am yakkingprogressive
-
are yakkingprogressive
-
is yakkingprogressive
-
have been yakkingperfect progressive
-
has been yakkingperfect progressive
Past
-
yakkedsimple
-
had yakkedperfect
-
was yakkingprogressive
-
were yakkingprogressive
-
had been yakkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of yak1
First recorded in 1785–95; from Tibetan gyag
Origin of yak2
An Americanism dating to 1820–25 for yakety-yak ( def. ) (noun)
Explanation
A yak is a big animal with horns and hooves that's native to Central Asia. A secondary, informal meaning of yak is "to chatter on and on." If you live in the Himalayas, you may spend a lot of time yakking about yaks. Yaks are relatives of cows and oxen, and in many parts of Tibet it's common to drink yak milk, eat yak meat, ride on yaks, and even race yaks. The English word comes from the Tibetan g-yag, "male yak." Yak can also mean "noisy chatter" or, as verb, "to chatter noisily and at length." This meaning is a variant of the verb yack or yuck and is unrelated to the word that denotes the animal.
Vocabulary lists containing yak
A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
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East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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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:
Oaklee Garner, 3, and her grandmother Julie Pettee look at the yak bulls at the Pettee Ranch in Fairplay, Colo. 3.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Yak bulls at the Pettee Ranch, one of the largest yak operations in the country with about 250 head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
As for the cheese, it’s traditionally made with Bhutanese yak cheese for a tangy flavor, and increasingly cow’s milk cheese.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
This is the roof of the world where traffic gives way to yak herders on horseback whistling to reluctant, grunting cattle, as eagles circle above.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025
I throw myself through the flap and then immediately up against the sidewall as the yak thunders past, his crooked horn just inches from my chest.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
“Ms. Blatt, what do you think the Second Circuit meant when it yakked about … judges not being art critics?” he asked.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2022
They yakked about nothing and everything, except what was around them.
From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2018
And Donald Trump appeared on some TV show and yakked about his well-being.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 17, 2016
But in all the decades he yakked about the college game, he'd never have as big an effect as he did on the NFL in 1981.
From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2012
She talked too much, yakked all the time.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
In the words of the late great Marty DiBergi: Enough of my yakking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
In other instances throughout, she fiddles with her phone while others are yakking away and is always just a bit on the outskirts.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023
Nice peaceful places are ruined by your yakking.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 25, 2023
Now the college football country settles in for another week of yakking about whether college football might be in some sort of existential trouble.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2022
“Hey! Look—we’ve been yakking and not paying any attention, and I think we’ve found a farm. See? Way over there?”
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
She later moved to Colorado, where she bought more yaks and now has about 30, including a new calf born last week, the first from a female named Inge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
“There are no yaks in Queens,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
A genetic adaptation that allows animals such as yaks and Tibetan antelopes to survive in thin air may also point to a new way to repair nerve damage in humans.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026
It could have ended in tragically had it not been for a well-coordinated rescue, with yaks and horses deployed to clear the snow.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
Even with the modern availability of synthetic fertilizers produced by chemical factories, the major source of crop fertilizer today in most societies is still animal manure—especially of cows, but also of yaks and sheep.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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