yay

¹

[yey]

interjection

Informal.

1. (an exclamation used to express joy, excitement, etc.)

yay

²

Or yea

[yey]

adverb

Informal.

1. to the extent, amount, etc., indicated.

   The doll is about yay high.

yay

/ jeɪ /

interjection

1. informal,  an exclamation indicating approval, congratulation, or triumph

Word History and Origins

Origin of yay¹

First recorded in 1960–65; perhaps alteration of yeah

Origin of yay²

Probably < yea

Word History and Origins

Origin of yay¹

C20: perhaps from _yeah

Example Sentences

"There was no coercion. It was more just me figuring out in that space, do I want to take this? I had every opportunity to say: 'Yay', 'nay', or 'yeah, I'll take it,'" he says.

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“You draft some player in the sixth round and all of a sudden you hear ‘yay!’ way up in the corner.

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“The first one she was yay high and then six months later, she grew. We had to readjust all of our dolls.”

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"When someone got a brick here to their head, it was like 'Yay'. I don't think they stopped to think that we were humans behind that uniform".

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It’s saying, “Oh, yay, I get to flunk another math test this week,” when what you mean is that you are freaked out about your consistently terrible grades in math class.

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