Meaning & use
yields
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“yields” is a form of “yield”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
The amounts of crops or products obtained from a piece of land, a process or an investment.
Grammar: Plural of yield: crop yields rose after the rain.
Patterns
- yields of something
- yields from something
Farmers reported higher yields of wheat after switching to new seed.
Bank savings accounts offer low yields compared with shares.
Yields from the experiment were smaller than the researchers expected.
verbtransitive
Produces or gives a result, a crop or a profit.
Grammar: Takes an object: the tree yields fruit every year. It is the third person singular form.
Patterns
- something yields something
This field yields about five tons of corn each season.
The investigation yields several important clues.
A good savings plan yields a steady income.
verbintransitive
Gives way, surrenders or allows someone else to go first or to win.
Grammar: No object; often followed by to: she yields to pressure. It is the third person singular form.
Patterns
- yield to something
- yield to someone
The driver on the minor road yields to traffic on the main road.
The old bridge yields under heavy trucks.
He rarely yields to pressure from his colleagues.
Word forms
| singular | yield |
|---|---|
| third person singular | yields |
| past tense | yielded |
| -ing form | yielding |
Common combinations
- crop yields
- Crop yields fell during the long drought.
- high yields
- The new variety promises high yields.
- yields results
- This method yields results quickly.
- bond yields
- Bond yields rose when interest rates went up.
- yields to pressure
- The manager yields to pressure from the team.
- yields a profit
- The shop yields a small profit each month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- produces
- Produces is neutral and general, while yields often emphasises what a source gives back, such as crops or returns.
- returns
- Returns is used almost only for money from investments, while yields can also be crops or research results.
- gives way
- Gives way is more informal and physical, such as a floor giving way, while yields can be formal and abstract.
- surrenders
- Surrenders suggests defeat in a conflict, while yields can be a gentle choice to let someone go first.
Opposites
Word family
- yield noun
- the amount that is produced
- yielded verb
- the past tense of yield
- yielding adjective
- soft, flexible or willing to give way
- high-yield adjective
- producing a large amount or return
Commonly confused: yields or yields? yields or yelled?
yields vs yields
The misspelling yiels is common. The correct order of letters is y-i-e-l-d-s.
yields vs yelled
Yelled means shouted loudly and only looks somewhat like yielded.
Practice
Our small apple orchard ____ over two hundred kilos of fruit last autumn.
Choose one answer.
Last autumn needs a past tense, so yielded fits. Yields is present tense and resigns and delivered do not describe what an orchard produces.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “yields”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.