yay

¹ American  

[yey] / jeɪ /

interjection

Informal.

1. (an exclamation used to express joy, excitement, etc.)

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yay ² American  

[yey] / jeɪ /

Or yea

adverb

Informal.

1. to the extent, amount, etc., indicated.

   The doll is about yay high.

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yay British  

/ jeɪ /

interjection

1. informal an exclamation indicating approval, congratulation, or triumph

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Etymology

Origin of yay¹

First recorded in 1960–65; perhaps alteration of yeah

Origin of yay²

Probably < yea

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yay

I hadn't thought about it till it came out in the press, so yay, yay for me.

From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026

“The first one she was yay high and then six months later, she grew. We had to readjust all of our dolls.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025

"I've been watching the trailer and going yay she's here," Cleo told the BBC.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2023

Roy runs into Phoebe’s teacher — yay, Phoebe, genuinely and always — and she says he seemed “stuck” the last time they spoke, which evidently serves to immediately unstick him.

From New York Times ● May 17, 2023

Another boat song: "Quee yay hanno ha.—Quee yay hanno ha."

From Account of a Voyage of Discovery to the West Coast of Corea, and the Great Loo-Choo Island by Hall, Basil