yarn

[yahrn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR yarn ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving.

a continuous strand or thread made from glass, metal, plastic, etc.

the thread, in the form of a loosely twisted aggregate of fibers, as of hemp, of which rope is made (rope yarn).

a tale, especially a long story of adventure or incredible happenings: He spun a yarn that outdid any I had ever heard.

verb (used without object)

Informal. to spin a yarn; tell stories.

Nearby words

Origin of yarn

before 1000; Middle English; Old English gearn; cognate with German Garn; akin to Old Norse gǫrn gut, Greek chordḗ intestine, chord¹, Lithuanian žarnà entrails, Latin hernia a rupture, Sanskrit hirā vein

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for yarn

Perhaps that's why Goldfarb didn't comment any further on his yarn.
Michael Goldfarb Doesn't Care About Facts|Ali Gharib|February 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I was afraid to tell my story directly, wanted to couch it in a fanciful (and imitative) yarn of sex and intrigue.
‘Miracle Boy Grows Up’: Ben Mattlin Speaks to Jay McInerney|Jay McInerney|December 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So we learned about it when Republicans raised it, and it became the latest ball of yarn for the news media.
Romney Takes Advantage of Democrats’ Israel Gaffe|Lloyd Grove|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In other words, he took substantial liberties with the facts to improve the yarn.
Another Memoir Meltdown|Howard Kurtz|April 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST

I wur, an' I wurn't, which is not mebbe a very plain statement, but you kin jedge fur yourself if you care to hear my yarn.
In Search of El Dorado|Alexander MacDonald
He threw the paper across to the young men to sign as witnesses, and then returned to his glass and his yarn.
A Mock Idyl|Percy Ross
This man was a manufacturer of linen cloth, and used to bleach his own yarn.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events|S. Baring-Gould
Starters should not wind on to bobbins when there is yarn on to piece up by.
Instruction book on ring spinning|Francis L. Lincoln
I told you there was quite a yarn hitched to that smokin' business.
Thankful's Inheritance|Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for yarn

yarn

noun

a continuous twisted strand of natural or synthetic fibres, used in weaving, knitting, etc

informal a long and often involved story or account, usually telling of incredible or fantastic events

spin a yarn informal

to tell such a story
to make up or relate a series of excuses

verb

(intr) to tell such a story or stories

Word Origin for yarn

Old English gearn; related to Old High German garn yarn, Old Norse görn gut, Greek khordē string, gut

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

Word Origin and History for yarn

yarn

Old English gearn "spun fiber," from Proto-Germanic *garnan (cf. Old Norse, Old High German, German garn, Middle Dutch gaern, Dutch garen "yarn"), from PIE root *ghere- "intestine, gut, entrail" (cf. Old Norse gorn "gut," Sanskrit hira "vein; entrails," Latin hernia "rupture," Greek khorde "intestine, gut-string," Lithuanian zarna "gut"). The phrase to spin a yarn "to tell a story" is first attested 1812, from a sailors' expression, on notion of telling stories while engaged in sedentary work such as yarn-twisting.

Idioms and Phrases with yarn

yarn

see spin a yarn.

yarn

noun

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of yarn

Examples from the Web for yarn

yarn

noun

verb

Word Origin for yarn

yarn

yarn