yuck
Americaninterjection
interjection
Usage
What does yuck mean? Yuck is an informal word you say when you think something is gross or disgusting.It’s an interjection, which is a term used to express an emotion or indicate how you feel about something, typically outside of a sentence.Yuck is primarily used to indicate that you think a food is particularly disgusting or unappetizing. It can be used upon actually tasting something or simply upon looking at it, smelling, or maybe even feeling it—you might say yuck if something feels slimy, for example.Yuck is also sometimes used to express disgust about other things, such as something filthy or unpleasant weather, as in It’s so hot and sticky outside. Yuck.The adjective yucky is based on yuck and means gross, disgusting, or unappetizing. Yucky is associated with its use by children and is often thought of as a childish term. (While yuck is often used by children, especially those refusing to eat their vegetables, it’s commonly used in many ways that don’t sound childish.) Yuck is sometimes used in an even more informal way to mean about the same thing as yucky, as in My day was just yuck. The word yum can be thought of as the opposite of yuck, especially in response to food. Yum is an interjection used to indicate that you think something is delicious or looks appetizing. Like yuck, it can also be used in contexts other than food, such as to express that something is appealing.An even more informal variant of yuck is yucko, which can be used both as an interjection and an adjective.Yuck is sometimes used as an alternate spelling of the term yuk, which can be a noun meaning a loud laugh or a verb meaning to laugh or joke. (The spelling yuk can also be used as a variant of the interjection yuck.)Example: Broccoli? Yuck! I’d rather eat my own socks.
Etymology
Origin of yuck
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; expressive word
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.
Mrs. Krupnik asked, with a look on her face that meant "yuck."
From Literature
"Yuck," Anastasia said, peering into the box.
From Literature
The kids in the circle all clapped their hands and yelled "YUCK!"
From Literature
New England 27, Seattle 24, ugh, yuck, sigh.
From Los Angeles Times
Decisive, unsparing judgments of what constitutes good taste and high style that were previously central to the fashion industry and the media that covered it are widely deemed verboten — sometimes by law but often by fiat, in accordance with the social-media dictate “Don’t yuck somebody else’s yum.”
From Salon
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.
