yawl

[ yawl ]

/ yɔl /

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noun

a ship's small boat, rowed by a crew of four or six.

a two-masted, fore-and-aft-rigged sailing vessel having a large mainmast and a smaller jiggermast or mizzenmast stepped abaft the sternpost.Compare ketch. See also schooner (def. 1), topsail schooner.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of yawl

First recorded in 1660–70, yawl is from the Dutch word jol kind of boat < ?

Words nearby yawl

Yavapai, Yavarí, yaw, Yawata, yawey, yawl, yawl-rigged, yawmeter, yawn, yawner, yawnful

Other definitions for yawl (2 of 2)

yawl²

[ yawl ]

/ yɔl /

noun, verb (used with or without object) British Dialect.

yowl; howl.

Origin of yawl

1300–50; Middle English; cf. yowl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use yawl in a sentence

The little boat was only twenty-five steps from the farmhouse, while the yawl was still distant about a hundred steps.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
With strong and steady sweeps they drew near the boys and not many minutes afterward quickly dragged both on board the yawl.
The Go Ahead Boys on Smugglers' Island|Ross Kay
Not long afterward a yawl was lowered from the boat and two men took their places at the oars.
The Go Ahead Boys on Smugglers' Island|Ross Kay
In this way several bushels of potatoes and a lot of green corn were secured and placed by the natives in the yawl.
Ralph Granger's Fortunes|William Perry Brown

But when he found that all persuasion was useless, he bade his people fill the yawl with vegetables and such meat as was on hand.
Ralph Granger's Fortunes|William Perry Brown

British Dictionary definitions for yawl (1 of 2)

yawl¹

/ (jɔːl) /

noun

a two-masted sailing vessel, rigged fore-and-aft, with a large mainmast and a small mizzenmast stepped aft of the rudderpostCompare ketch, sloop

a ship's small boat, usually rowed by four or six oars

Word Origin for yawl

C17: from Dutch jol or Middle Low German jolle, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for yawl (2 of 2)

yawl²

/ (jɔːl) /

verb

(intr) British dialect to howl, weep, or scream harshly; yowl

Word Origin for yawl

C14: from Low German jaulen; see yowl

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

yawl

Origin of yawl

Words nearby yawl

Other definitions for yawl (2 of 2)

Origin of yawl

Words related to yawl

How to use yawl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for yawl (1 of 2)

Word Origin for yawl

British Dictionary definitions for yawl (2 of 2)

Word Origin for yawl