yawn
yawn Lexical Profile
yawn Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An involuntary reflex act of opening the mouth wide and inhaling deeply, usually triggered by fatigue, drowsiness, or boredom.
"He tried to hide a massive yawn as the professor droned on about 18th-century tax laws."
A boring or excessively tedious event, person, or thing (Informal).
"Despite the massive marketing budget, the highly anticipated blockbuster turned out to be a complete yawn."
• verb
To involuntarily open one's mouth wide and inhale deeply, typically due to fatigue, boredom, or witnessing another person do the same.
"The toddler began to yawn and rub her eyes, signaling it was time for a nap."
To open wide, presenting an immense and potentially daunting empty space (especially of a chasm, cavern, or gap).
"The dark entrance to the ancient cave seemed to yawn before the nervous explorers."
• Rhymes for yawn
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'yanen', derived from Old English 'geonian' or 'gānian', meaning 'to gape or open wide', of Germanic origin. It shares roots with the Old High German 'ginēn'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.