yawned; yawning; yawns
1
: to open wide : gape
2
: to open the mouth wide and take a deep breath usually as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom
1
: to utter with a yawn
2
: to accomplish with or impel by yawns
his grandchildren yawned him to bed—
L. L. King
L. L. King2
: an opening of the mouth wide while taking a deep breath often as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom
also
: a reaction resembling a yawn
a … success at the box office but drew only yawns from critics —Current Biography
Current Biography 3
: bore entry 5
this book is kind of a yawn—Ilene L. Cooper
Ilene L. CooperSynonyms
Examples of yawn in a Sentence
Verb
Students were yawning in class.
Noun
I tried to stifle a yawn.
as neither candidate was willing to make an unequivocal statement about anything, the debate proved to be a complete yawn
Recent Examples on the WebCaroline Hatchett, Robb Report, 3 May 2024
These include frequent urination, food cravings, mood changes, swelling, and yawning.
—Yuliya Klochan, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yawn 
Verb
Even as the city yawned back to life, restaurants maintained a conservative curfew.
—Caroline Hatchett, Robb Report, 3 May 2024
These include frequent urination, food cravings, mood changes, swelling, and yawning.
—Yuliya Klochan, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yawn
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Yawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yawn. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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Medical Definition
yawn
1 of 2 intransitive verb
: to open the mouth wide and take a deep breath usually as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom
yawn
2 of 2 noun
: an opening of the mouth wide while taking a deep breath often as an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom
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