yo-yo
Americannoun
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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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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yo-yosimple
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yo-yossimple
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have yo-yoedperfect
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has yo-yoedperfect
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am yo-yoingprogressive
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are yo-yoingprogressive
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is yo-yoingprogressive
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have been yo-yoingperfect progressive
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has been yo-yoingperfect progressive
Past
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yo-yoedsimple
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had yo-yoedperfect
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was yo-yoingprogressive
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were yo-yoingprogressive
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had been yo-yoingperfect progressive
Future
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.
That has certainly increased this year with the new style of "yo-yo racing" brought about by the new hybrid engines.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
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
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 • Feb. 7, 2026
He reached into his pocket and took out the yo-yo that Smithers had given him.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
