yeah
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of yeah
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So yeah, 20-somethings, 30-somethings, particularly if they’re not lawyers, I’m sure that’s how they see the court.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“None of us did ... wrongdoing and, yeah, that’s it,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
“I’m in my zone. And yeah, I’m going to enjoy my game any way that I want to.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Oh, yeah: I think I saw a guy who looked like Kevin Hassett dressed as Alfred E. Neuman.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
“With the way you’re acting now, yeah, maybe a little,” Maya-Jade said.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
