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English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

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ya
intj
An informal way of saying "yes" or "yeah."
yaar
noun
A close friend, pal, or buddy (South Asian usage).
yacht
noun
A sleek boat, often with sails but sometimes engine-powered, used for pleasure cruising or racing.
yada
intj
Used (usually repeated as "yada yada yada") to stand in for boring or predictable details being skipped over.
Yadav
noun
A member of a large community in India and Nepal traditionally associated with cattle-herding and pastoral farming.
yadda
intj
Used repeated ("yadda yadda yadda") to skip over details that are boring, obvious, or not worth spelling out.
yae
noun
The Korean vowel letter ㅒ, romanized "yae."
Yael
name
A feminine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "ibex" or "mountain goat."
yah
adv
An informal variant of "yes."
yahoo
noun
A loud, rough, or uncultured person.
Yahtzee
name
A dice game in which players roll five dice and score points for various combinations.
Yahweh
name
A name for the God of the Hebrew Bible, rendered from the Tetragrammaton YHWH.
yak
noun
A large, shaggy-haired, ox-like animal from the mountains of Central Asia, including Tibet and Mongolia.
yakuza
noun
An organized Japanese crime syndicate, or a member of one.
Yale
name
A private university in Connecticut, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the United States.
Yalta
name
A resort city on the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, site of the 1945 Yalta Conference between Allied leaders.
yam
noun
A starchy edible root grown as a staple food in tropical regions.
Yama
name
In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, the god of death; also used as a Japanese feminine given name.
Yamada
name
A common Japanese surname meaning "mountain rice field."
Yamaguchi
name
A Japanese surname, also the name of a city and prefecture in Japan, meaning "mouth of the mountain."
Yamaha
name
A major Japanese company that makes motorcycles, musical instruments, and other equipment.
Yamamoto
name
One of the ten most common Japanese surnames, meaning "base of the mountain."
Yamashita
name
A Japanese surname meaning "below the mountain."
Yamato
name
A historical name for Japan, especially referring to the ancient Yamato court that once ruled the country.
Yamazaki
name
A Japanese surname meaning "mountain peninsula" or "mountain cape."
Yami
name
A Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Tao people.
yammering
noun
Loud, repetitive, and often irritating talk.
yan
num
One (a dialectal counting word used in traditional Cumbrian and Northumbrian sheep-counting rhymes).
Yana
name
A female given name from Slavic languages, a romanization of names such as Bulgarian, Russian, or Ukrainian Я́на.
Yancy
name
An English surname, also used as a male given name.
yang
noun
In Chinese philosophy, the active, bright, hot, and masculine principle that pairs with yin to form a balanced whole.
Yangtze
name
The longest river in China and the third-longest in the world, flowing about 6,300 kilometers through central China.
Yangzhou
name
A historic city in Jiangsu province, eastern China.
yank
verb
To pull something suddenly and forcefully.
Yankee
noun
An informal term for someone from the United States, especially (historically) the northern states or New England.
Yankees
name
The New York Yankees, a Major League Baseball team based in the Bronx, New York.
Yanni
name
A surname, also familiar as the stage name of the Greek composer and musician Yanni.
Yannick
name
A French male given name derived from the Breton name Yannig.
yano
noun
A shabono, the large communal, ring-shaped hut built by the Yanomami people of the Amazon.
Yao
noun
A member of an ethnic group living across parts of Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania in southeastern Africa.
yap
noun
A high-pitched bark from a small dog.
yapping
noun
A run of short, sharp barks, especially from a small dog.
yar
adj
Nimble and quick to handle, especially of a small sailing boat.
yard
noun
An outdoor area next to or enclosed by a building, often with a lawn or garden.
Yardley
name
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosed woodland clearing," also the name of towns in England and Pennsylvania.
yards
noun
The horizontal spars on a mast that hold up a square sail, and by extension the sail rigging as a whole.
yarmulke
noun
A small, round skullcap worn by Jewish men, especially during prayer or religious observance.
yarn
noun
Spun fibre thread used for knitting, weaving, or making rope.
Yash
name
A male given name of Sanskrit origin, popular in India, meaning "fame" or "glory."
Yasha
name
A Russian diminutive of the male given name Yakov, roughly equivalent to the English name Jake.
yashiro
noun
A Shinto shrine.
Yasmin
name
A feminine given name of Arabic origin, a variant of Jasmine referring to the flower.
Yasuda
name
A Japanese surname meaning "peaceful rice field."
Yasuko
name
A Japanese feminine given name often meaning "peaceful child."
Yasuo
name
A Japanese male given name often meaning "peaceful man."
yat
noun
A letter of the old Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets, no longer used in modern spelling.
Yates
name
An English surname derived from Old English "gate," and the name of several small places in the United States.
Yau
name
A Chinese surname with several possible origins across Hokkien and Cantonese.
yaw
noun
The rotation of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle from side to side around its vertical axis.
yawn
verb
To open the mouth wide and take a deep breath involuntarily, usually from tiredness or boredom.
yawning
adj
Wide open, like a gaping mouth.
yay
intj
An exclamation of joy, approval, or celebration.
Yayoi
noun
The ancient culture and people of Japan during the Yayoi period, roughly 300 BCE to 300 CE, known for introducing rice farming and metalworking.
ye
pron
An old form of "you," used for addressing more than one person.
yea
adv
Yes; an affirmative reply, now mostly used in formal or archaic contexts.
Yeager
name
A surname of German origin, from Jäger, meaning "hunter."
yeah
particle
An informal way of saying "yes."
year
noun
The time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun once, about 365 days.
yearbook
noun
A book published once a year summarising events, facts, or statistics.
yearly
adj
Happening once every year.
yearn
verb
To have a deep, often wistful longing for something or someone.
yearning
noun
A deep, wistful longing for something.
years
noun
A very long stretch of time (informal, used loosely).
yeast
noun
A microscopic fungus used to ferment dough or brew alcohol.
Yeats
name
A surname, most famously borne by the Irish poet and playwright W. B. Yeats.
yee
intj
An informal way of saying "yes."
yeehaw
intj
An exclamation of excitement, often associated with cowboys or rodeo culture.
yeesh
intj
An exclamation expressing exasperation, mild disgust, or relief.
Yegor
name
A Russian male given name, a form of the name Egor.
Yeh
particle
An informal spelling of "yeah," meaning yes.
Yehuda
name
A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "praised," equivalent to Judah.
Yelena
name
A feminine given name common in Russian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian, equivalent to Helen.
yell
verb
To shout loudly, especially out of anger, excitement, or fear.
yeller
noun
A person who yells.
Yellin
name
A surname, often of Ashkenazi Jewish origin.
yelling
noun
The act of shouting loudly.
yello
intj
A casual way of saying hello, often used when answering the phone.
yellow
noun
The bright color of lemons, sunflowers, and egg yolks, produced by light around 580 nanometers.
Yellowstone
name
A national park in the western United States, spanning Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, famous for its geysers and wildlife.
yelp
noun
A short, sharp, high-pitched cry.
yelping
noun
The act of making short, high-pitched cries.
Yeltsin
name
A Russian surname, most notably that of Boris Yeltsin, the first President of the Russian Federation.
Yemen
name
A country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East, with Sanaa as its capital.
yen
noun
The official currency of Japan, symbol ¥.
yens
pronoun
You all; used to address a group that includes the person being spoken to (regional/dialectal).
Yeo
name
A surname of English, Korean, or Chinese origin, also the name of several rivers in southwest England.
yeoman
noun
Historically, a farmer who owned and worked his own modest plot of land, ranking as a respectable commoner.
Yeong
name
A unisex Korean given name.
yeow
intj
An exclamation of sudden pain or surprise.
yep
intj
An informal way of saying yes.
yer
noun
A hard or soft sign letter (ъ or ь) in Cyrillic alphabets, once representing very short vowel sounds in old Slavic languages.
yes
particle
Used to show agreement, acceptance, or confirmation.
yeshiva
noun
A school for the advanced study of Jewish religious texts, especially the Talmud.
yessir
intj
An informal way of saying "yes, sir", used for emphatic agreement.
yesterday
noun
The day before today.
yesteryear
noun
Times gone by; the past, especially thought of with nostalgia.
yet
adv
Up until now; so far — often used in questions and negative statements.
yeti
noun
A legendary ape-like creature said to live in the snowy Himalayan mountains.
Yeung
name
A Cantonese surname, a romanization of the Chinese surname also rendered Yang.
Yevgeny
name
A Russian male given name, equivalent to Eugene, ultimately from Greek meaning "well-born."
yew
noun
An evergreen coniferous tree with dark needles and red berry-like seed cases, native to Europe and parts of Asia.
Yggdrasil
name
In Norse mythology, the enormous ash tree believed to connect all nine worlds of the cosmos.
Yi
noun
A member of an ethnic group living mainly in the mountainous regions of southwest China.
Yiddish
name
A Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews across central and eastern Europe, traditionally written in Hebrew script and blending German with Hebrew, Slavic, and other influences.
yield
verb
To produce or give as a result, especially a crop, profit, or outcome.
yielding
adj
Easily giving way to pressure or persuasion; not resistant.
yikes
intj
An exclamation of shock, alarm, or dismay.
Yim
name
A Cantonese surname, a romanization of the Chinese surnames Yan or Yim.
yin
noun
In Chinese philosophy, the passive, dark, and feminine principle, traditionally paired with yang.
Ying
name
A Chinese surname and place name, from various Mandarin characters.
yip
noun
A short, high-pitched bark or yelp, especially from a small dog.
yippee
intj
Shouted to express sudden excitement, joy, or triumph.
yipping
noun
The act or sound of giving short, sharp barks.
Yiu
name
A Chinese surname, romanized from the Hakka pronunciation.
YMCA
noun
A branch or building of the Young Men's Christian Association, typically offering gyms, pools, and community programs.
yo
intj
Used as a casual greeting, similar to "hi" or "hey."
Yoda
noun
An unusual, inverted word order in a sentence, imitating the speech pattern of the Star Wars character Yoda.
yodel
verb
To sing by rapidly switching between a normal chest voice and a high falsetto.
yodeling
noun
The act or style of singing with rapid switches between chest voice and falsetto.
yoga
noun
A system of physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation originating in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, practiced for physical fitness and mental calm.
yogi
noun
A person who practices or teaches yoga.
yogurt
noun
A thick, tangy dairy product made by fermenting milk with bacterial cultures.
Yoichi
name
A Japanese male given name.
yoke
noun
A wooden bar or frame joining two draught animals, such as oxen, at the neck so they can pull a plough or cart together.
yokel
noun
An unsophisticated or naive person from the countryside, often used dismissively.
Yoko
name
A Japanese female given name.
Yokohama
name
A large Japanese port city near Tokyo, capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Yokoyama
name
A Japanese surname.
Yolanda
name
A female given name of Spanish origin, ultimately of obscure but likely Germanic roots.
yolk
noun
The yellow, round part of an egg, surrounded by the egg white, that provides nutrients to a developing embryo.
YOLO
verb
Used informally to justify a bold, reckless, or spontaneous decision, from the phrase "you only live once."
yon
det
That, over there; used to point out something visible but at a distance.
yonder
adv
In or at a place that is visible but some distance away.
Yong
name
A surname, romanized from various Chinese and Korean names.
yoni
noun
The vulva or vagina, or a symbolic representation of them, especially as an object of reverence in Hindu and related traditions.
Yonkers
name
A city in New York State, bordering New York City to the north.
Yoo
name
A surname, most often Korean.
Yoon
name
A Korean surname.
yore
noun
Time long past, especially as recalled with nostalgia.
Yorick
name
A male given name, notably the dead court jester whose skull Hamlet addresses in Shakespeare's play.
york
verb
In cricket, to bowl a yorker — a ball aimed to bounce right at the batsman's feet.
yorker
noun
In cricket, a fast-bowled ball designed to bounce right at the batsman's feet or bat, near the popping crease.
Yorkshire
name
The largest historic county in England, located in the northeast and traditionally divided into three ridings.
Yorktown
name
A town in southeastern Virginia, site of the final major battle of the American Revolutionary War.
Yosef
name
A male given name of Hebrew origin, equivalent to "Joseph."
Yosemite
name
A region of central California famous for Yosemite National Park, known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, and giant sequoias.
Yoshi
name
A Japanese male given name, also widely known as the dinosaur-like character from Nintendo's Mario video game series.
Yoshida
name
A Japanese surname.
Yoshie
name
A Japanese female given name.
Yoshiko
name
A Japanese female given name, often meaning "good" or "excellent child."
Yoshimura
name
A Japanese surname.
Yoshino
name
A Japanese surname, also a place name associated with cherry blossoms.
Yoshio
name
A Japanese male given name, often meaning "good man" or "righteous man."
Yoshioka
name
A Japanese surname.
Yost
name
A surname, often of German origin.
you
pronoun
The person or people being spoken or written to.
Youn
name
A surname, a romanization of the Korean surname Yun.
young
adjective
In an early stage of life; not yet old.
youngblood
noun
A newcomer who brings energy or fresh ideas to a group, especially a young person joining an established team.
younger
adjective
Less old than someone or something else being compared; comparative form of "young."
youngest
noun
The least old member of a family or group.
youngster
noun
A child or young person.
your
determiner
Belonging to, or associated with, the person or people being spoken to.
yours
pronoun
The thing or things belonging to the person being spoken to, used without a following noun.
yourself
pronoun
Refers back to the person being spoken to, when they are both the doer and the receiver of an action.
yous
pronoun
A nonstandard plural form of "you," used in some dialects (Irish, Scottish, Australian, and parts of the US) to address more than one person.
Youse
name
A surname, an Americanized spelling of the German surname Jauss.
Yousef
name
A male given name and surname of Arabic origin, equivalent to Joseph.
Youssef
name
A male given name and surname of Arabic origin, a variant of Yousef, equivalent to Joseph.
youth
noun
The period of life between childhood and adulthood.
youthful
adjective
Looking or behaving young, often despite one's actual age.
YouTube
proper noun
A major video-sharing website where users upload, watch, and comment on videos.
yow
interjection
An exclamation of sudden pain.
yowling
noun
A long, loud, wailing cry, typically made by a cat.
Yoyo
noun
A toy consisting of two discs joined by an axle, with a string wound around it that lets the toy spin down and climb back up the hand.
yr
noun
A rune from the Old English runic alphabet (futhorc), representing the vowel sounds written today as "y."
Ys
name
A legendary city in Breton folklore said to have been swallowed by the sea.
Ystad
name
A town and municipality in Skåne County, southern Sweden.
yu
noun
An ornate bronze wine vessel used in ancient China, often fitted with a decorative lid.
yuan
noun
The basic unit of currency in China.
yucca
noun
A plant with long, stiff, pointed leaves and tall clusters of white flowers, often grown as an ornamental or houseplant.
yuck
interjection
Used to express disgust, especially at a taste, smell, or sight.
yucky
adjective
Disgusting or unpleasant.
yue
noun
A traditional unit of volume used in ancient China, roughly equal to the space taken up by 1,200 millet seeds.
yuen
noun
A crowned or pileated gibbon, a small ape native to Southeast Asia.
Yugoslav
adjective
Relating to Yugoslavia or its people.
Yugoslavia
proper noun
A former country in southeastern Europe that existed for most of the 20th century before splitting into several independent nations.
Yugoslavian
adjective
Relating to Yugoslavia.
yuh
pronoun
An informal spelling of "you," representing casual or relaxed pronunciation in speech and texting.
Yui
name
A unisex Japanese given name and surname.
yuk
interjection
A big, hearty laugh.
Yuka
noun
A Japanese female given name.
Yukari
noun
A Japanese female given name.
Yukawa
noun
A Japanese surname.
Yuki
noun
A Native American people originally from northern California, or their language.
Yukie
noun
A Japanese female given name.
Yukiko
noun
A Japanese female given name.
Yukimura
noun
A Japanese surname.
Yukio
noun
A Japanese male given name.
yuko
noun
In judo, a scoring result awarded for a throw that lands an opponent partly on their side, worth less than a full point.
Yukon
noun
A territory in northern Canada, capital Whitehorse, or the major river of the same name running through it and Alaska.
Yule
noun
Christmas, or the wider Christmas season running through the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Yuletide
noun
The Christmas season; the period of celebration around Christmas.
Yulia
noun
A Russian female given name, the equivalent of the English name Julia.
yum
interjection
Used to express how delicious something tastes.
Yuma
noun
A city in southwestern Arizona, county seat of Yuma County, and the name of several smaller US towns.
yumi
noun
A traditional Japanese longbow used in archery and the martial art of kyudo.
Yumiko
noun
A Japanese female given name.
yummy
adjective
Very tasty; delicious.
Yun
noun
A surname found in Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Khmer.
Yuna
noun
A female given name used in both Korea and Japan.
Yung
noun
A surname.
yup
interjection
An informal way of saying yes.
yuppie
noun
A young, ambitious professional with a well-paid job and an affluent, status-conscious lifestyle, especially in a city.
Yura
noun
A diminutive form of the Russian or Ukrainian male name Yuri.
Yuri
noun
A Russian male given name, the equivalent of "George."
Yuriko
noun
A Japanese female given name.
yurt
noun
A round, portable tent with straight walls and a cone-shaped roof, traditionally used by nomadic peoples of Central Asia and Mongolia.
Yusuf
noun
A male given name from Arabic, the Islamic form of the name Joseph, also referring to the prophet of that name.
Yuta
noun
A female given name.
Yves
noun
A French male given name.
Yvette
noun
A French female given name that became popular in English in the nineteenth century.
Yvonne
noun
A French female given name, in regular use in English since the twentieth century.