yelp
Americanverb (used without object)
-
yelps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
yelped,
past participle, past
-
yelping
present participle
-
to give a quick, sharp, shrill cry, as a dog or fox.
-
to call or cry out sharply.
The boy yelped in pain when the horse stepped on his foot.
verb (used with object)
-
yelps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
yelped,
past participle, past
-
yelping
present participle
noun
-
yelps
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
yelpsimple
-
yelpssimple
-
have yelpedperfect
-
has yelpedperfect
-
am yelpingprogressive
-
are yelpingprogressive
-
is yelpingprogressive
-
have been yelpingperfect progressive
-
has been yelpingperfect progressive
Past
-
yelpedsimple
-
had yelpedperfect
-
was yelpingprogressive
-
were yelpingprogressive
-
had been yelpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of yelp
before 900; (v.) Middle English yelpen, Old English gielpan to boast; cognate with Low German galpen to croak; (noun) Middle English: boasting, Old English gielp, derivative of the v.
Explanation
A yelp is a loud cry of pain, like what you’d hear after you step on a dog’s tail by accident. It was an accident, right? The root of yelp is the Old English word gielp, which means “boast.” Clearly the meaning has changed over time, since yelping is nothing to boast about, as it usually involves pain of some kind. The word works as a noun and a verb, so you could say “I can hear a dog yelping,” or “The dog’s yelps kept me up all night.” You could also pet your dog a lot, which will help with the yelps.
Vocabulary lists containing yelp
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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.
See Examples For:
It was now a cold, silent night, broken only by snores, the occasional yelp of someone dreaming, and the hoot of a single owl.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025
But for that moment we sang together, a collective yelp of determination to keep dancing.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
Border Patrol vehicle, botanist Sula Vanderplank heard a quail in the scrub yelp “chi-ca-go,” a sound the birds use to signal they are separated from a mate or group.
From Seattle Times ● May 18, 2024
Suddenly, a strange yelp echoes from a ridge of craggy outcroppings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
The hazel eyes with their odd round pupils; the way Peter would close them and throw his head back and yelp something near a bark when he was delighted.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Saar yelps in an elevated octave before slipping them on … And not two seconds later kicking them off.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
This provoked yelps from technocrats who said it was impractical and superfluous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
Now, I get it, stuffed cabbage isn’t going to prompt yelps of excitement.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2024
Teenagers let out delighted yelps as they slipped on the ice of a nearby skating rink.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2023
Mother set it on the desk in the living room, propped against the wall, and every time Mama Tataba walks by it she yelps like a snake bit her.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
“Ow,” Ayden yelped, cartoons playing in the background.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Or, as Doc Brown might have yelped, changes could have disastrous consequences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
The 24-year-old yelped in surprise and delight when her score was read in the kiss-and-cry area, putting Glenn on top of the leaderboard as Levito stepped onto the ice.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
He yelped at the microphone as though it was about to attack him, then he lilted, eyes closed, like a crooner.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2023
He yelped in shock, but they pulled themselves away, and it was Njemile, fear in her eyes.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
And I like the people yelping “This is golf, not the UFC!” as if a mixed martial arts crowd would somehow be worse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
She is especially potent and effective on “Triptych: Prayer/Protest/Peace,” in conversation with Roach’s drums, yelping, hollering and screaming in pain, in a real-time response to those turbulent years of American racial violence and struggle.
From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
Isabel knew there was a lamppost on her road so she braced herself then "smacked into it and jumped back" yelping in pain.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2023
However, the researchers also noted more signs of stress in the e-collar group, including yawning and, in some dogs, yelping.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2022
Anya dared a look at what it was yelping about.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
