English dictionary — definitions & meanings

yesterday

noun

The day before today.

yestern

adj

Of or pertaining to yesterday.

yestersol

adv

On the sol (Martian day) before the present one.

yestertide

noun

A time period previous to the present; the past.

yestertime

noun

Time previous to the present; the past.

yesteryear

noun

Times gone by; the past, especially thought of with nostalgia.

yestreen

noun

The night before; last night.

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.

yeuk

verb

to itch, irritate the skin

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.

yh

abbreviation

A texting spelling of "yeah", used to agree or to confirm something.

yhwh

name

The deity worshipped in Abrahamitic religions, Yahweh, called Adonai in Judaism due to a taboo on using the full name, and God and the Lord in Christianity.

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.

yieldly

adj

Of, relating to, or producing yield; productive.

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.

yin and yang

noun

In Chinese philosophy, the two complementary forces held to make up everything in the universe: yin, the dark, cool, passive, receptive principle, and yang, the bright, warm, active, assertive one, each containing a trace of the other and constantly turning into it.

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.

yis

adv

Pronunciation spelling of yes.

yisrael

name

A surname from Hebrew.

yiss

intj

Pronunciation spelling of yes.

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."

yob

noun

A person who engages in antisocial behaviour or drunkenness.

yobo

noun

A soldier's female Korean lover or hired prostitute.

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.

yodelayheehoo

intj

The sound of a person yodelling.

yodeling

noun

The act or style of singing with rapid switches between chest voice and falsetto.

yoel

name

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Joel.

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.

yokibus

noun

A miscellaneous thing or whimsical contraption; a thingamajig.

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.

yola

name

An extinct West Germanic language formerly spoken in Wexford, Ireland.

Yolanda

name

A female given name of Spanish origin, ultimately of obscure but likely Germanic roots.

yolande

name

A female given name from French

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.

yonic

adj

In the shape of a vulva (yoni).

Yonkers

name

A city in New York State, bordering New York City to the north.

yonks

noun

A long time (especially a longer time than expected); ages

Yoo

name

A surname, most often Korean.

yoohoo

verb

To give a cry of "yoohoo".

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.

you're welcome

phrase

The standard polite reply to thank you, indicating that the help given was freely offered and no thanks were necessary.

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.

youngling

noun

A young person, animal, or plant; chit.

youngly

adj

Like a young person or thing; young; youthful.

youngsome

adj

Seemingly young in appearance, manner, or behaviour; youthful

youngster

noun

A child or young person.

younker

noun

A young man; a lad, youngster.

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.

yourselves

pron

You (plural), used to intensify the subject as the group addressed.

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.

youthen

verb

To make younger or more youthful.

youthful

adjective

Looking or behaving young, often despite one's actual age.

youthfulness

noun

The vitality characteristic of youth.

youthless

adj

Devoid of youth; old, aged.

YouTube

proper noun

A major video-sharing website where users upload, watch, and comment on videos.

yow

interjection

An exclamation of sudden pain.

yowl

noun

A prolonged, loud cry, like the sound of an animal; a wail; a howl.

yowling

noun

A long, loud, wailing cry, typically made by a cat.

yowzah

adv

Pronunciation spelling of yes, sir.

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.

YT

abbreviation

Short for YouTube, used in messages, captions and comments to refer to the video platform.

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.

yuge

adj

Pronunciation spelling of huge, representing New York City English.

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.