yawn

yawn — verb

1. to let your mouth open wide while drawing in a deep breath, a natural response t

1.動詞不及物A2
釋義

to let your mouth open wide while drawing in a deep breath, a natural response to feeling tired or bored

例句

Ryo could not stop yawning during the two-hour lecture on Tuesday afternoon.

yawn + 'could not stop' for involuntary action

The baby yawned and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep at last.

sequence: yawned, then fell asleep — tiredness trigger

同義詞
  • gape

    Gape can mean the same physical action of opening the mouth wide, but it often adds a sense of surprise or shock that 'yawn' does not carry.

文法句型

yawn + (from / with + cause)

yawn + adverb

用法筆記

Often used in continuous forms ('was yawning', 'kept yawning') to describe repeated or prolonged action. A prepositional phrase can follow to state the cause: 'yawn from exhaustion', 'yawn with boredom'.

常見錯誤

❌She sighed because she was tired after the long flight.
✅She yawned because she was tired after the long flight.
💡Sighing is a different action: a deep breath out through the mouth, usually showing sadness or relief, not a wide-mouth intake of air from tiredness.

2. to be wide open, in a way that suggests danger, threat, or a difficult barrier —

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

to be wide open, in a way that suggests danger, threat, or a difficult barrier — for example, a deep crack in the ground or a dark hole in a wall

例句

A deep crack yawned across the road after the earthquake hit the area.

[crack] + yawned across [surface] — physical gap

The cave mouth yawned before them, dark and completely silent.

[opening] + yawned before [someone] — literary

同義詞
  • gape

    Gape is the more common word for this figurative sense of being wide open. 'Yawn' adds a more literary, slightly dramatic tone, while 'gape' is neutral.

  • open

    Open is a general word without the threat or danger that 'yawn' or 'gape' suggest.

文法句型

[gap / chasm / opening] + yawns + (open / before + noun phrase)

用法筆記

Used in descriptive or literary writing, not in everyday speech. The subject is typically a physical opening such as a crack, chasm, hole, or tunnel. Often paired with 'open' ('yawned open') or a directional phrase ('yawned before them').

常見錯誤

❌The door yawned open when I pushed it.
✅The door swung open when I pushed it.
💡'Yawned open' is generally only used for large, natural openings like caves or chasms, not for everyday objects like doors.

yawn — noun