yo-yo
Americannoun
plural
yo-yos-
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.
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something that fluctuates or moves up and down, especially suddenly or repeatedly.
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Slang. a stupid, foolish, or incompetent person.
adjective
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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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
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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
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.
Sometimes I'm up and down like a yo-yo.
From BBC
When she started using the injectable, Winfrey told People she welcomed the arrival of a tool to help her get away from the yo-yo path she’d been on for decades.
From Los Angeles Times
"If they regain weight later, their body composition worsens," he adds, noting that this "yo-yo cycle" of losing and regaining "raises the long-term risk of weight gain," especially when cycling on and off the medication.
From BBC
The buyer initially thinks they got a good deal, but they then get pulled back in to pay more, like a yo-yo.
From MarketWatch
Marti Cifuentes is the manager Leicester have turned to as they attempt to again 'yo-yo' their way back up.
From BBC
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.
