yikes

American

[yahyks] / yaɪks /

interjection

(an exclamation of surprise or alarm.)

yikes British

/ ˈjaiks /

interjection

informal an expression of surprise, fear, or alarm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of yikes

First recorded in 1940–45; possibly from yoicks

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.

After a brief resurgence they’ve turned back into the Sharks again, losing seven in a row and getting outscored 33-10 — yikes! — in the process.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2023

Djokovic won 6-0, 6-4 in Monte Carlo in 2008 - yikes! - and 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 in Rome in 2011.

From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2015

You also encourage women to train to do — yikes! — a pull-up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2015

Scratch your nose at the wrong moment, the urban folktale went, and -- yikes! -- you've bought a Rembrandt.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023