yaw

¹ American  

[yaw] / yɔ /

verb (used without object)

1. to deviate temporarily from a straight course, as a ship.

2. (of an aircraft) to have a motion about its vertical axis.

3. (of a rocket or guided missile) to deviate from a stable flight attitude by oscillation of the longitudinal axis in the horizontal plane.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to yaw.

noun

1. a movement of deviation from a direct course, as of a ship.

2. a motion of an aircraft about its vertical axis.

3. an angle, to the right or left, determined by the direction of motion of an aircraft or spacecraft and its vertical and longitudinal plane of symmetry.

4. (of a rocket or guided missile)

   1. the act of yawing.

   2. the angular displacement of the longitudinal axis due to yawing.

yaw ² American  

[yaw] / yɔ /

noun

Pathology.

1. one of the lesions of yaws.

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yaw British  

/ jɔː /

verb

1. (intr) (of an aircraft, missile, etc) to turn about its vertical axis Compare pitch 1 roll

2. (intr) (of a ship, etc) to deviate temporarily from a straight course

3. (tr) to cause (an aircraft, ship, etc) to yaw

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noun

1. the angular movement of an aircraft, missile, etc, about its vertical axis

2. the deviation of a vessel from a straight course

Etymology

Origin of yaw¹

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Origin of yaw²

First recorded in 1735–45; back formation from yaws

Explanation

A yaw is a swerve off course. On a sailboat, an unexpected yaw can make you lurch to one side — and it might also make you seasick. Both as a noun and a verb, yaw basically means "swerve or twist." It's most common for this word to be used in discussions of a vehicle's movement, especially ships, airplanes, and spacecraft. A pilot might describe a jet that tends to yaw to the right, while a boat captain might warn her crew that an approaching storm will cause the ship to pitch and yaw. Etymologists believe that yaw and yacht share a root.

Example Sentences

In Hover mode, the joystick provides fine-grained yaw control, allowing the BlackFly to execute its surreal pirouette.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

"The investigation found that, in the prevailing circumstances, the loss of yaw control was irrecoverable," it said in its final report on the crash.

From Reuters • Sep. 6, 2023

Jackson is particularly proud of the clavicle, which can move forward and back as well as pitch, roll, and yaw.

From The Verge • May 4, 2022

Retro-jets firing, a yaw and sway as the vessel settled onto the lunar surface.

From Nature • Jun. 30, 2020

His daughter, writer Norah Christianson, remembers that he had “the body of a dancer, lithe and wiry and thin, everything in balance,” a physique ideally suited to the pitch and yaw of a horse’s withers.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand