yap

1 of 2

verb

yapped; yapping

intransitive verb

1
: to talk in a shrill insistent way : chatter
2
: to bark snappishly : yelp
yapper noun

yap

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a quick sharp bark : yelp
b
: shrill insistent talk : chatter
2
: an unsophisticated, ignorant, or uncouth person : bumpkin
3
slang : mouth

Examples of yap in a Sentence

Verb The dog was yapping all night. Kids were yapping in the back of the room. She seems to spend all her time yapping on the phone. Noun I heard yaps coming from the yard. a dope with a talent for opening his yap at exactly the wrong moment
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Enough yapping about Embiid’s knee, Embiid’s surgeries, Embiid’s wounds, Embiid’s strife. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2024 For those familiar with their animation studios, Illumination immediately brings to mind the flood of yapping yellow pills known as the Minions. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023 The final studio superhero pic of the summer season goes up against Strays, Universal’s raunchy canine comedy. Strays, which hopes to yap its way to an opening in the mid-teens, earned $1.1 million in previews, including $275,000 from early-access screenings. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023 One woman reclined on a picnic table while two small dogs yapped at visitors. Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2023 Booker yapped something and Doncic barked back and then got nose-to-nose with Booker. Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 11 Aug. 2023 But whenever my big sister offered up a compliment, my heart yapped back like a tiny chihuahua. Rachael Cusick, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2023 The Warriors needed leadership, not someone yapping at the refs. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 May 2023 This parent yaps cluelessly as their child eats twigs, digs ditches, climbs a tree, impales himself on a chain link fence, and splays himself across the third base line singing show tunes. Kara Baskin, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2023
Noun
Energetic puppies wrestle and yap while others nap with their tiny paws up against display windows at the Dallas Petland store, which can feature between 50 and 60 of them at a time. Dallas News, 9 May 2022 No texting, no soda-sucking, and no chatter, save for a thoughtful yap every now and then. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2020 More Stories Nine also marks the band’s second album since the departure of DeLonge, whose utterly distinctive yap has been replaced by the more generic emo voice of Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2019 Some offer support via timely yaps, others by quiet companionship. Natasha Frost, Quartzy, 11 Sep. 2019 The source said Green sometimes personalizes his yaps at refs. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Feb. 2018 The perpetual disconnect between NBA refs and players has risen to a crisis level this season, in no small part because the best team can’t shut its yap and play ball. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Feb. 2018 Twitter Facebook − + sawdustInmyeye mpls1981 • 4 months ago Shut your yapsee more 1 • Dave Orrick, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2017 But with half of Washington leaking to the other half, and with nobody in town including the president* able to keep their yaps shut, the whole government is throwing rods and leaking oil. Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of yap was in 1596

Dictionary Entries Near yap

Cite this Entry

“Yap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yap. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

yap

1 of 2 verb
yapped; yapping
1
: to bark in yaps : yelp
2
: to talk sharply or continuously

yap

2 of 2 noun
: a quick shrill bark : yelp

Geographical Definition

Yap

geographical name

ˈyap How to pronounce Yap (audio)
ˈyäp
variants or Uap
islands in the western Carolines population 11,377

Note: The Yap Islands are part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Yapese
ya-ˈpēz How to pronounce Yap (audio)
yä-
-ˈpēs
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on yap

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