Library / English Dictionary

YAWN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom

Example:

he apologized for his oscitancy

Synonyms:

oscitance; oscitancy; yawn; yawning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("yawn" is a kind of...):

inborn reflex; innate reflex; instinctive reflex; physiological reaction; reflex; reflex action; reflex response; unconditioned reflex (an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "yawn"):

pandiculation (yawning and stretching (as when first waking up))

Derivation:

yawn (utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired

Example:

The child yawned during the long performance

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "yawn" is one way to...):

breathe; respire; suspire; take a breath (draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

yawn (an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom)

yawner (a person who yawns)

yawning (an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be wide open

Example:

the deep gaping canyon

Synonyms:

gape; yaw; yawn

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "yawn" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Credits

 Context examples: 

“Very agreeable indeed,” she replied, vainly endeavouring to hide a great yawn.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

It is closed at rest and opens during swallowing, sneezing, and yawning.

(Murine Eustachian Tube, NCI Thesaurus)

Treatments for ear barotrauma include chewing gum and yawning to relieve the pressure.

(Barotrauma, NIH)

He found Holmes leaning languidly against the mantelpiece, resigned and patient, endeavouring to conceal his irrepressible yawns.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But the man never turned, and, after stretching his arms above his head and yawning audibly, he retraced his steps to the forecastle scuttle and disappeared.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

No human ingenuity could suggest a means of bridging the chasm which yawned between ourselves and our past lives.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It is functionally collapsed at rest, with slight negative pressure present in the middle ear, and opens during swallowing, sneezing, and yawning.

(Eustachian Tube, NCI Thesaurus)

The night yawned about him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

At length, however, Mrs. Bennet had no more to say; and Lady Lucas, who had been long yawning at the repetition of delights which she saw no likelihood of sharing, was left to the comforts of cold ham and chicken.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

He lounged back in a careless position, and yawned repeatedly as though heartily weary of the proceedings, stooping from time to time to fondle a shaggy Spanish greyhound which lay stretched at his feet.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)