Meaning & use
yielded
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“yielded” is a form of “yield”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Produced or gave a result, crop or profit.
Grammar: Takes an object: the field yielded wheat.
Patterns
- yielded something
The orchard yielded a record harvest this autumn.
The investigation yielded several new clues.
Her savings yielded a modest interest.
verbintransitive
Gave way to pressure, force or argument, or let someone else have priority.
Grammar: No object; often followed by to: yielded to pressure.
Patterns
- yielded to someone
- yielded to something
The government finally yielded to public pressure.
The driver yielded to the ambulance.
The old door yielded when he pushed it hard.
Common combinations
- yielded results
- The experiment yielded surprising results.
- yielded to pressure
- The manager yielded to pressure from staff.
- yielded a profit
- The investment yielded a healthy profit.
- yielded the right of way
- She yielded the right of way at the junction.
Synonyms and how they differ
- produced
- Produced is neutral and wide, while yielded often suggests a natural result like a crop or finding.
- surrendered
- Surrendered is stronger and suggests defeat, whereas yielded can be quite gentle.
- gave way
- Gave way is a phrase suited to both pressure and physical collapse, and sounds more casual.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: yielded or yelled?
yielded vs yelled
Yelled means shouted loudly and is unrelated to yielding.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'yielded' to mean 'gave way'?
Choose one answer.
Yielded to calls means gave in. The other options mean produced.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “yielded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.