yack

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitiveinformal

   To talk for a long time about unimportant things.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by away or on: they yacked all night.

   Patterns

   • yack away
   • yack on
   • yack about something

   They yacked on the phone for two hours.

   She yacks about her dog all day.

   Stop yacking and start working.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A long, friendly or pointless conversation.

   Grammar: Often a yack: have a good yack.

   Patterns

   • have a yack
   • a yack with someone

   We had a good yack over coffee.

   I don't have time for a yack right now.

   After the match, the players enjoyed a yack in the bar.

3. 3noununcountableinformaldisapproving

   Noisy, empty talk that people find annoying.

   Grammar: Never takes a: all that yack.

   Patterns

   • all that yack

   I'm tired of the yack on talk radio.

   All that yack about the weather bored me.

   He ignored the yack behind him on the train.

Word forms

Common combinations

yack away

They yacked away until midnight.

yack on the phone

She yacks on the phone for hours.

yack about

He yacks about football constantly.

have a yack

Let's have a yack over lunch.

Synonyms and how they differ

chatter

Chatter is lighter and quicker, often used for small talk or children, while yack suggests going on too long.

gab

Gab is also informal but slightly friendlier, whereas yack can sound irritated.

natter

Natter is British and warm and cozy, but yack can be more critical.

jabber

Jabber suggests fast talk that is hard to follow.

Opposites

Word family

yak verb

another spelling of yack

yacking noun

long talk about nothing

yackety-yak noun

endless idle chatter

yacker noun

a person who talks too much

Commonly confused: yack or yak?

Practice

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