yo-yo
Americannoun
-
a spoollike toy consisting of two thick wooden, plastic, or metal disks connected by a dowel pin in the center to which a string is attached, one end being looped around the player's finger so that the toy can be spun out and reeled in by wrist motion.
-
something that fluctuates or moves up and down, especially suddenly or repeatedly.
-
Slang. a stupid, foolish, or incompetent person.
adjective
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a toy consisting of a spool attached to a string, the end of which is held while it is repeatedly spun out and reeled in
-
slang a stupid person, esp one who is easily manipulated
verb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of yo-yo
First recorded in 1915–20; of undetermined origin; possibly from Ilocano yóyo or a related language as the name of a Philippine toy
Explanation
A yo-yo is a toy that's made of a string wound around two connected discs. The trick of a yo-yo is to drop the discs to the end of the string and flick them back up into your hand. When you learn to use a yo-yo, you can do tricks that involve the spinning discs and the string's tension. A yo-yo expert can "walk the dog," where the yo-yo rolls along the floor like a dog on a leash, or go "around the world," making a wide circle in the air with the yo-yo before snapping it back up the string to her hand. The word yo-yo appeared around 1915, possibly from a language of the Philippines.
Vocabulary lists containing yo-yo
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.
Repeated weight loss followed by weight regain, often called "yo-yo dieting" or weight cycling, has long been viewed as unhealthy and potentially even worse than staying overweight.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
They use a "flywheel exercise device," similar to a yo-yo, that can allow for aerobics like rowing as well as provide resistance to perform moves like weighted squats and deadlifts.
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
Attacks on Federal Reserve independence, yo-yo tariffs and unpredictable foreign policy had already pushed the greenback close to a multiyear low.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
Sometimes I'm up and down like a yo-yo.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025
At one point, I remember, Mitchell Sanders turned and looked at me, not quite nodding, as if to warn me about something, and then after a while he rolled up his yo-yo and moved away.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
