yarn
[ yahrn ]
/ yɑrn /
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.
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Nearby words
yarkand, yarkant he, yarmouth, yarmuk, yarmulke, yarn, yarn-dyed, yaroslavl, yarovize, yarra river, yarraman
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
British Dictionary definitions for yarn
yarn
/ (jɑːn) /
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
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Idioms and Phrases with yarn
yarn
see spin a yarn.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.