yawns

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of yawn.

   He yawns through the entire morning briefing without apology.

   The old dog yawns loudly whenever it settles by the fire.

   Note

   The same spelling serves two words: this present-tense verb and the plural noun. A subject in front (she yawns) marks the verb; an article or number (the yawns, two yawns) marks the noun. The -s form carries every living sense of the verb, not only tiredness. A gap or doorway yawns when it gapes wide, and a sleepy speaker yawns out a reply. Two older uses, gaping in bewilderment and yawning with eager desire, are obsolete.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of yawn.

   Several wide yawns rippled through the audience as the speech dragged on.

   His repeated yawns told everyone the long drive had worn him out.

   Note

   Both of the noun's meanings take this plural. The literal one counts open-mouthed breaths, as in a row of yawns spreading through a tired audience. The colloquial one passes a verdict on something dull: one meeting is a yawn, and a string of them are yawns. That second use belongs to casual talk, not careful prose. The spelling is shared with the present-tense verb.

   The first two lectures were yawns, but the third finally woke us up.

   Muffled yawns spread along the back row as the clock crept past midnight.

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