yarn

[ yahrn ]

/ yɑrn /

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

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

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

/ (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 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

British Dictionary definitions for yarn

yarn

noun

verb

Word Origin for yarn

Word Origin and History for yarn

yarn

Idioms and Phrases with yarn

yarn