as in bore
someone or something boring
as neither candidate was willing to make an unequivocal statement about anything, the debate proved to be a complete yawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of yawn
Hazlitt, 18 June 2025
The study, detailed this week in the journal Scientific Reports, found that a slight majority (57.1 percent) of adult chimpanzees observed would yawn in response to seeing the android head yawn.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 June 2025
Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Every media outlet will cover your games with a yawn and a shrug.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for yawn
Noun
My beans on toast was only halfway eaten when the waitress, yawning and heading into the final stretch of a triple-shift, discovered me.
—Hazlitt, 18 June 2025
The study, detailed this week in the journal Scientific Reports, found that a slight majority (57.1 percent) of adult chimpanzees observed would yawn in response to seeing the android head yawn.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 June 2025
Verb
Actors know all too well that every word can elicit a standing ovation… or a yawn.
—Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Every media outlet will cover your games with a yawn and a shrug.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for yawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yawn
Noun
-
The theory went viral on X, as 4chan pointed users to photos of Valadez that bore perceived similarities to surveillance footage of the suspect fleeing the scene released by the FBI amid the manhunt.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Anyone who thinks English Heritage sites are run by bores is in for a surprise.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By the time Cali finished her drink, Ronny was snoring.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
-
While crawfish frogs might be notorious for their rap sheets full of B&Es, they are also said to have a distinct sound when calling, almost like the sound of someone snoring.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The array of ferocious brushstrokes, scratches, and painterly drips amplify the complex dialogue, inviting the viewer’s interpretation.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
There was no tease with a quick start, no slow drip of the game slipping away, pretty much no hope at all by the end of the first inning.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Whoopi Goldberg broke news of Robert Redford's death to The View audience in real time, with studio audience members audibly gasping as the Oscar-winning actress informed that the 89-year-old Hollywood icon died earlier Tuesday at his home in Utah.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Voices gasped, exhaled for a beat, then rose up in screams of horror.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Don’t put out bird feeders, as bears can sniff out birdseed from more than a mile away.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Inside, his older brother, Tyson, 8, sniffs around near his toys, enjoying a rare moment of uninterrupted playtime.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In front of them, warthogs snuffled around in the grass.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
-
Next to arrive is her disembodied trunk, with a mind of its own, snuffling out friends and enemies and food.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2024
Verb
-
The film wheezes through its less-than-80-minute running time, and no one seems all that sad to move on.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The drilling was coming from the massive construction project next door, which eventually gave way to cartloads of rocks and dirt that wheezed out dust that clogged the air-conditioner.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
But Treinen snuffed out the rally by whiffing Adames looking at a full-count 96 mph sinker that nicked the outside corner and Matt Chapman swinging at an 85 mph sweeper that was way outside.—
Mike Digiovanna,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
From accidental black holes to worries that chemical experiments might suddenly freeze all Earth’s oceans, this is the story of concerns scientists are on the brink of discovering exotic, deadly new forms of matter or life that might quickly spread, snuffing us out.—
Thomas Moynihan,
Big Think,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yawn. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share