yield

[yeeld]

verb (used with object)

1. to give forth or produce by a natural process or in return for cultivation.

   This farm yields enough fruit to meet all our needs.

   Synonyms: bear, render, supply, supply, furnish

2. to produce or furnish (payment, profit, or interest).

   a trust fund that yields ten percent interest annually; That investment will yield a handsome return.

3. to give up, as to superior power or authority.

   They yielded the fort to the enemy.

   Synonyms: forgo, waive, abdicate, abandon

4. to give up or surrender (oneself ).

   He yielded himself to temptation.

   Antonyms: resist

5. to give up or over; relinquish or resign.

   to yield the floor to the senator from Ohio.

6. to give as due or required.

   to yield obedience to one's teachers.

   Synonyms: render

7. to cause; give rise to.

   The play yielded only one good laugh.

verb (used without object)

1. to give a return, as for labor expended; produce; bear.

2. to surrender or submit, as to superior power.

   The rebels yielded after a week.

3. to give way to influence, entreaty, argument, or the like.

   Don't yield to their outrageous demands.

   Synonyms: bow, comply, give in

4. to give place or precedence (usually followed byto ).

   to yield to another; Will the senator from New York yield?

5. to give way to force, pressure, etc., so as to move, bend, collapse, or the like.

   I've pushed and pushed, but this door will not yield.

noun

1. something yielded.

   Synonyms: fruit

2. the quantity or amount yielded.

3. the act or process of yielding.

   the yield of plastic materials under stress.

4. Chemistry.,  the quantity of product formed by the interaction of two or more substances, generally expressed as a percentage of the quantity obtained to that theoretically obtainable.

5. the income produced by a financial investment, usually shown as a percentage of cost.

6. a measure of the destructive energy of a nuclear explosion, expressed in kilotons of the amount of TNT that would produce the same destruction.

yield

/ jiːld /

verb

1. to give forth or supply (a product, result, etc), esp by cultivation, labour, etc; produce or bear

2. (tr) to furnish as a return

   the shares yielded three per cent

3. to surrender or relinquish, esp as a result of force, persuasion, etc

4. to give way, submit, or surrender, as through force or persuasion

   she yielded to his superior knowledge

5. to agree; comply; assent

   he eventually yielded to their request for money

6. (tr) to grant or allow; concede

   to yield right of way

7. obsolete,  (tr) to pay or repay

   God yield thee!

noun

1. the result, product, or amount yielded

2. the profit or return, as from an investment or tax

3. the annual income provided by an investment, usually expressed as a percentage of its cost or of its current value

   the yield on these shares is 15 per cent at today's market value

4. the energy released by the explosion of a nuclear weapon expressed in terms of the amount of TNT necessary to produce the same energy

5. chem the quantity of a specified product obtained in a reaction or series of reactions, usually expressed as a percentage of the quantity that is theoretically obtainable

yield

1. The income from a fixed-income security as a percentage of its market price. For example, if the market price of a bond declines, its yield rises.

Other Word Forms

• yielder noun
• outyield verb (used with object)
• underyield verb (used without object)
• unyielded adjective
• yieldable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of yield¹

First recorded before 900; (for the verb) Middle English y(i)elden, Old English g(i)eldan “to pay”; cognate with German gelten “to be worth, apply to”; noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of yield¹

Old English gieldan; related to Old Frisian jelda, Old High German geltan, Old Norse gjalda, Gothic gildan

Synonym Study

Yield, submit, surrender mean to give way or give up to someone or something. To yield is to concede under some degree of pressure, but not necessarily to surrender totally: to yield ground to an enemy. To submit is to give up more completely to authority, superior force, etc., and to cease opposition, although usually with reluctance: to submit to control. To surrender is to give up complete possession of, relinquish, and cease claim to: to surrender a fortress, one's freedom, rights. See crop.

Example Sentences

Liquid alternatives benefit from decent yields on cash and wide valuation spreads across various asset classes, and government bonds are priced to provide capital gains in a recession and a decent yield.

Read more on Barron's

Liquid alternatives benefit from decent yields on cash and wide valuation spreads across various asset classes, and government bonds are priced to provide capital gains in a recession and a decent yield.

Read more on Barron's

While some are drawn to GLP-1 medicines by vanity, the medical rationale is compelling: Sustained weight loss yields broad health benefits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The S&P 500 could reach around 7500 by the end of 2026, driven by earnings growth and AI investments, he says in a market outlook, while financials could benefit from moderate yields and deregulation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The investment bank’s analysts tell clients in a note that the Australian company’s fiscal 2026 earnings outlook is well underpinned by factors including stabilizing investment yields and a new A$450 million share buyback.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crop 
• earnings 
• harvest 
• income 
• output 
• profit 
• return 
• revenue 
• turnout