yarn

American  

[yahrn] / yɑrn /

noun

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

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

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

4. a tale, especially a long story of adventure or incredible happenings.

   He spun a yarn that outdid any I had ever heard.

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verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to spin a yarn; tell stories.

yarn British  

/ jɑːn /

noun

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

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

3. informal

   1. to tell such a story

   2. to make up or relate a series of excuses

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verb

1. (intr) to tell such a story or stories

yarn Idioms  

1. see spin a yarn.

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Etymology

Origin of yarn

before 1000; Middle English; Old English gearn; cognate with German Garn; akin to Old Norse gǫrn gut, Greek chordḗ intestine, chord ¹, Lithuanian žarnà entrails, Latin hernia a rupture, Sanskrit hirā vein

Example Sentences

Firms that cater to higher-income customers, or sell specialized products such as quality yarn, may be more insulated from worries about broader demand, given wealthier households’ resilience in recent years.

From Barron's

The boy, having been fearful of getting lost, finds the way home again by following the thread of red yarn—only to discover that the magpies have prepared a wonderful Christmas surprise.

From The Wall Street Journal

Works such as “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped,” still read today, exemplify the Scottish author’s gift for yarns.

From The Wall Street Journal

Herodotus was an anthropological Autolycus, a spinner of yarns from Halicarnassus, a Greek colony in Asia Minor.

From The Wall Street Journal

During their first class they chose the legend of Baby Blue — a time-worn grade-school yarn about a ghost named Baby Blue who appears if you say her name three times in a row.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fleece
• thread
• wool