yuk 1 of 2

noun

ˈyək How to pronounce yuk (audio)
variants or yuck also yak or yock
Definition of yuknext
slang
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter the yuks on this new sitcom are so pathetic that the souped-up laugh track merely adds insult to injury

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

yuk

2 of 2

verb

variants or yuck
slang
as in to joke
to make jokes pay no mind to those clowns—they are just yukking it up and don't mean any harm

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 yuk
Noun
People get mired in all kinds of muck and yuck by the slop on social media. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 If volunteering is drudgery, yuck, who’s going to want to do that? — Bill Hoogterp, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2026 The elephants are escorted by handlers who fan them with peacock feathers and yak-hair whisks. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Here, nomadic families still move across the plains with their herds of yak and sheep, and concrete-and-steel settlements are few and far in between. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026 The interiors of my cabin were elemental, with stone walls, wood furniture, and yak-wool throws. — Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026 In early March 2017, the pair flew to Kathmandu, spent a night at a yak and yeti hotel, and began preparing for their major trek. — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026 Raising the bar on fabric research, Moorer paired technical wools or cotton chenille with silk, and introduced the rare and naturally soft yak fiber to the outerwear range. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026 Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica. — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
But even though the lefty claims a 13 handicap and is now a regular at charity tournaments, the comic known for his Git-R-Done catchphrase is still counted on to yuk it up for hours on end. — Daniel Brown, New York Times, 11 July 2025 This year Hart yuks it up on July 12 and Jones does a follow up concert on Aug. 2. — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025 Who has more fun than golfers who yuk it up throughout a four-hour round? — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025 Seinfeld heads back to Bay Area Jerry Seinfeld is ready to yuk it up with Bay Area fans. — Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 3 Oct. 2024 Kevin Hart yuks it up with Laugh Out Loud Radio, a collection of Hart’s specials, shows, and dialogues. — PCMAG, 14 Aug. 2024 Each person gets a chance to stand on one side of a plastic barrier while Yankovic stands on the other and tour photographer Kamal Asar takes a picture of them pretending to organically yuk it up together. — Alex Pappademas, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yuk
  1. joke
  2. laugh
  3. joking
  4. gag
  5. giggle
Noun
  • The problem is, having our President butt in here was a joke.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • The two constants in the show, tap-dancing and short ridiculous jokes, start to have the same rhythms and sharp bam-bam-bam impact.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • Fox Sports cameras showed Swift sharing a laugh with Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, in a suite.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • Davidson cowrote each episode, providing plenty of laughs and adding an extra bounce to the show’s hopeful ending.
    — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
  • Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • Swift attended game 4 of the NBA Finals with her Haim besties, so this invite isn’t a surprise so much as a chance for Alana Haim to print some more gag shirts.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 2 July 2026
  • While there is no shortage of visual gags that play around with a mockumentary style, the movie ultimately reveals itself as an adventure about taking risks and the universal drive to ask questions and explore.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Definition of gag
Noun
  • Admittedly, Carmy is not exactly a bucket of giggles in this episode, or, really, in any episode.
    — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • Many animals can laugh too, but the giggles don’t follow human patterns as closely.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
Definition of giggle

Browse Nearby Words

yucky
yuk
yukked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yuk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yuk. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All