yawp

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verb

ˈyȯp

variants or yaup

yawped or yauped; yawping or yauping; yawps or yaups

Synonyms of yawp

intransitive verb

: to make a raucous noise : squawk

: clamor, complain

yawper noun

yawp

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noun

variants or less commonly yaup

: a raucous noise : squawk

: something suggestive of a raucous noise

specifically : rough vigorous language

Did you know?

Yawp first appeared sometime in the 15th century. This verb comes from Middle English yolpen, most likely itself derived from the past participle of yelpen, meaning "to boast, call out, or yelp." Interestingly, yawp retains much of the meaning of yelpen, in that it implies a type of complaining which often has a yelping or squawking quality. An element of foolishness, in addition to the noisiness, is often implied as well. Yawp can also be a noun meaning "a raucous noise" or "squawk." The noun yawp arrived on the scene more than 400 years after the verb. It was greatly popularized by "Song of Myself," a poem by Walt Whitman containing the line "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world."

Examples of yawp in a Sentence

Verb stop yawping about your problems and try doing something to fix them

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

After Glazer’s film cuts to black at the end, the music reemerges in a nightmarish march of yawping voices. —Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023

Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2021 And, finally, the restatement of the American Dream for a new century, just the way Walt Whitman yawped it in the streets of Manhattan. —Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 Mar. 2017

Noun

In the ever-expanding universe of obsolete sounds, few can compare to the confident yawp of a dial-up modem. —Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2025 Collins pulls out a roaring yawp as carelessly as LaMelo Ball spams 3-pointers. —Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025 Taken together, the memes about the rally shooting represent a collective yawp of confusion over how to process such an extreme incident through such fundamentally trivializing channels. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 17 July 2024 Credit to the singer for expanding outside her usual vocal range, though, deploying an Imogen Heap–style yawp on this one. 168. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 May 2024 Prince Harry’s book is a yawp of grief for the dead which spares little mercy for the living. —Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023 The result: a cathartic yawp for bandmates and fans alike. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023 That song has always seemed to me the Ur-millennial track with its twee mandolins, barbaric yawp of a vocal, and stomp-clap vibe that anticipates the sound that would dominate radio in the early 2010s. —Vulture, 10 May 2023 Casas’s walk on the wild side One day after Triston Casas let out a mighty yawp following a 14-pitch walk against the Rays, the Red Sox remained both impressed with the focus demonstrated by the rookie in the at-bat and amused by a virtually unprecedented reaction to a walk. —Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2023