yeah
yeah Lexical Profile
yeah Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Used in informal speech to give an affirmative response, express agreement, or confirm that a statement is true; yes.
"Yeah, I would love to join you for coffee after the lecture."
• interjection
Used as an informal exclamation to express enthusiasm, satisfaction, or triumph, or to acknowledge what someone is saying.
"Yeah! Our team finally won the regional championship!"
Used with a rising or skeptical intonation to express doubt, disbelief, or sarcasm regarding a previous statement.
"Oh yeah? I will believe that excuse when I see the proof."
• noun
An informal affirmative answer, expression of agreement, or utterance of the word 'yeah'.
"I only got a halfhearted yeah when I asked if he had finished his homework."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Yeah' (pronounced /jɛə/) is the informal spoken equivalent of 'yes' and should not be confused with the archaic affirmative 'yea' (/jeɪ/, as in 'yea or nay') or the interjection of excitement 'yay' (/jeɪ/).
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in American English in the late 19th century as a casual, drawled phonetic variant of 'yes' or 'yea'.