yarn

noun

ˈyärn How to pronounce yarn (audio)
Definition of yarnnext
1
as in tale
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally Grandpa likes to tell yarns about when he was young

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2
as in story
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel a ripping yarn about space travel and alien monsters

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of yarn No one makes it through the front door without a warm welcome, then to be greeted by walls of yarn and crafting tables filling the floor space. — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 It was followed by the popular DramaBox fantasy title Deny Me, Dragon King and another DramaBox dragon yarn, Married to the Hidden Dragon King. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026 Knits and yarn blends, like those at CFCL, erred on the side of practical. — Rachael Akhidenor, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026 Inspired by spider silk, the company genetically programs microorganisms to produce silk proteins through fermentation, then spins those proteins into biodegradable yarn. — Kate Gammon, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for yarn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yarn
  1. tale
  2. story
  3. novella
  4. narrative
Noun
  • Wildwood is a dark tale, with whispers of a witch, set against the beautiful yet formidable backdrop of rural New England.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The tale is energized by the thoughtful performances of Hanns Zischler, as Mann, and Sandra Hüller, as the author’s daughter Erika, who accompanies him while reviving conflicts from her own past.
    — Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of tale
Noun
  • The Same Curve, Every Time Skeptics have been telling this story for a hundred years.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But all that warm, crowd-pleasing material is incongruously, fascinatingly, and not so comfortably fitted inside a story about great loss.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of story
Noun
  • Based on his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, Barker wrote and directed the first Hellraiser movie the following year, introducing audiences to Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and his Cenobites.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Late Fame was adapted faithfully from the Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler’s late nineteenth-century novella, itself a recent recovery, but the transposition to the present functions only up until this point.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of novella
Noun
  • But what sticks is the potential of fanfic narratives, born of the desire to see resonant characters in new dynamics and situations.
    — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The narrative was that the property insurance market was being crushed by litigation, fraudulent claims, contractors and, yes, the lawyers who represented policyholders.
    — Matthew T. Christ, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of narrative

Browse Nearby Words

yardsticks
yarn
yarns
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Cite this Entry

“Yarn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yarn. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on yarn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yarn

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