yawp

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableliterary

   A loud, harsh, rough-sounding cry or shout.

   Grammar: Usually countable: let out a yawp.

   Patterns

   • a yawp of something
   • let out a yawp

   The boy let out a yawp of joy when the ball sailed over the fence.

   A sudden yawp from the barn startled the horses.

   Her yawp of laughter carried across the whole field.

2. 2verbintransitiveinformal

   To shout or cry out in a loud, harsh or noisy way.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by a preposition: yawp at the crowd.

   Patterns

   • yawp at someone
   • yawp about something

   The announcer began to yawp over the loudspeaker.

   Seagulls yawped overhead as we ate on the pier.

   He yawped with delight when he saw the score.

Word forms

Common combinations

barbaric yawp

Poets still quote the barbaric yawp that Whitman celebrated.

let out a yawp

He let out a yawp as he jumped into the lake.

yawp of delight

A yawp of delight rose from the crowd.

yawp of pain

She gave a yawp of pain when she stubbed her toe.

yawp at

The coach yawped at the referee.

Synonyms and how they differ

yell

Yell is a common word for any loud shout, while yawp suggests a rough, unpolished sound.

squawk

Squawk sounds more like a bird's harsh cry and often implies complaint, but yawp feels more raw and wild.

bellow

Bellow is deeper and more powerful, whereas yawp is harsh and higher.

whoop

Whoop expresses joy or excitement, while yawp can be more raw and not clearly positive.

Opposites

Word family

yawping adjective

making a loud, harsh cry

yap verb

to bark sharply or talk noisily

yawn verb

to open the mouth wide, usually from tiredness

Commonly confused: yawp or yawn? yawp or yap?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “yawp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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