Definitions for yawning
yawn·ing

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. yawn, yawning, oscitance, oscitancyadjective

   an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom

   "he could not suppress a yawn"; "the yawning in the audience told him it was time to stop"; "he apologized for his oscitancy"

2. yawningadjective

   gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something

   "the yawning mine shaft"; "a yawning abyss"

3. yawningadjective

   with the mouth wide open indicating boredom or sleepiness

   "a yawning congregation"

4. drowsy, oscitant, yawning(a)adjective

   showing lack of attention or boredom

   "the yawning congregation"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. yawningnoun

   The action of the verb yawn.

2. yawningadjective

   That yawns or yawn.

   yawning commuters

3. yawningadjective

   Wide open.

   a yawning chasm

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Yawningadjective

   Sleepy; slumbering.

   Etymology: from yawn.

   Ere to black Hecat’s summons
   The shard-born beetle, with his drowsy hums,
   Hath rung night’s yawning peal, there shall be done
   A deed of dreadful note. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. yawning

   A yawn is a reflex lasting 4–7 seconds, and is characterized by a long inspiratory phase with gradual mouth gaping, followed by a brief climax (or acme) with muscle stretching, and a rapid expiratory phase with muscle relaxation. For fish and birds, this is described as gradual mouth gaping, staying open for at least 3 seconds and subsequently a rapid closure of the mouth. Almost all vertebrate animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even fish, experience yawning. The study of yawning is called chasmology.Yawning (oscitation) most often occurs in adults immediately before and after sleep, during tedious activities and as a result of its contagious quality. It is commonly associated with tiredness, stress, sleepiness, boredom, or even hunger. In humans, yawning is often triggered by the perception that others are yawning (for example, seeing a person yawning, or talking to someone on the phone who is yawning). This is a typical example of positive feedback. This "contagious" yawning has also been observed in chimpanzees, dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles and can occur between members of different species. Approximately twenty psychological reasons for yawning have been proposed by scholars but there is little agreement on the primacy of any one.During a yawn, muscles around the airway are fully stretched, including chewing and swallowing muscles. Due to these strong repositioning muscle movements, the airway (lungs and throat) dilates to three or four times its original size. The tensor tympani muscle in the middle ear contracts, which creates a rumbling noise perceived as coming from within the head; however, the noise is due to mechanical disturbance of the hearing apparatus and is not generated by the motion of air. Yawning is sometimes accompanied, in humans and other animals, by an instinctive act of stretching several parts of the body including the arms, neck, shoulders and back.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Yawning

   of Yawn

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Yawning

   The yawning, Poromitra oscitans, is a fish of the family Melamphaidae, found in tropical and subtropical waters of the indo-Pacific region.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Yawning

   An involuntary deep INHALATION with the MOUTH open, often accompanied by the act of stretching.

How to pronounce yawning?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say yawning in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of yawning in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of yawning in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of yawning in a Sentence

1. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus:

   Deem not life a thing of consequence. For look at the yawning void of the future, and at that other limitless space, the past.

2. The Russian:

   I was even thinking during the match that some of you guys stayed... I heard somebody was yawning though sometimes during the match, i'm sorry, I thought it was quite an exciting match.

3. Ramon Price:

   He's moving now, he's opening his eyes, he's yawning, he's coughing, he's moving his hands, he's moving his legs, what a miraculous turnaround.

4. Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings:

   There is infection in everything. Even sleepiness can be infectious, and yawning can be infectious. There is even the infection of a time.

5. Joe Robinson:

   It’s like when you’re hanging out with somebody and that person starts yawning — within a couple seconds you’re doing the same thing, mirror neurons are there because they’re a bonding tool. They’re supposed to help bring us together. But in the case of stress, well, they cause problems.

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