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Synonyms

yo-yo

American  
[yoh-yoh] / ˈyoʊ yoʊ /

noun

plural

yo-yos

  1. 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.

  2. something that fluctuates or moves up and down, especially suddenly or repeatedly.

  3. Slang. a stupid, foolish, or incompetent person.

adjective

  1. Informal. moving up and down or back and forth; fluctuating; vacillating.

    yo-yo prices; a yo-yo foreign policy.

verb (used without object)

  1. Informal. to move up and down or back and forth; fluctuate or vacillate.

    Mortgage rates are still yo-yoing.

verb (used with object)

  1. Informal. to cause to yo-yo.

yo-yo British  
/ ˈjəʊjəʊ /

noun

  1. 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

  2. slang a stupid person, esp one who is easily manipulated

"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

verb

  1. informal to change repeatedly from one position to another; fluctuate

"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

adjective

  1. informal changing repeatedly; fluctuating

"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 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.

Wild swings in individual stocks and assets still managed to bleed into the major U.S. equity indexes, with all three snapping back and forth like a yo-yo.

From MarketWatch

“I could have it go up or go down like a yo-yo,” he said, but added that it should just “seek its own level” on foreign exchange markets, “which is the fair thing to do.”

From Barron's

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

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

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.