yeah

American  

[yai] / yɛə /

adverb

Informal.

1. yes.

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yeah British  

/ jɛə /

1. an informal word for yes

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Etymology

Origin of yeah

1900–05; variant of yea or yes

Explanation

Yeah is a casual form of yes. When you’re hanging out with someone you really look up to and they ask you if you want to go to a party, play it cool by saying “Yeah, sure,” instead of “Yes! I’d love to!” You would almost never write “yeah” unless you were trying to mimic the sound of talking. If someone says, "Yeah, right," they’re not casually telling you you’re right. They’re ironically saying “Not likely.” And if someone interrupts you while you’re talking and says “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” it means, “I already know that—–get on with it!.”

Example Sentences

When asked whether season three could be the end of the road for the show, Zendaya recently told Drew Barrymore's TV show: "I think so, yeah."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Oh yeah, “Baghdad Bob,” Iraq’s lying former information minister: “Today, the tide has turned, we are destroying them.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

“Sure, yeah, I love horses,” said Islas, who was born in Los Angeles but grew up in San Diego and still lives there.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

So yeah, giving him control of the sun is probably one of the worst such ideas anyone could possibly come up with, though I don’t doubt he’s capable of even more.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

And, yeah, we did that Holocaust unit in fifth grade.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• voice vote