What does "yahoo" mean?
A rough, coarse, loud or uncouth individual.
Yahoo
/ˈjɑːhuː/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rough, coarse, loud or uncouth individual.
- Grammar: yahoo is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: rube, barbarian, boor, boors.
- Useful contrasts: alas, civilized person, cultured person.
- Usage evidence: When we reached the summit, we all yelled "Yahoo!"
How to use "yahoo"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "yahoo" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "yahoo" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "yahoo" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "yahoo" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "yahoo" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "rube" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "yahoo", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A rough, coarse, loud or uncouth individual. derogatory
- 2 One of a race of brutes, who look and act similar to men, inhabiting the same land as the civilized Houyhnhnms.
"I therefore often begged his Favour to let me go among the Herds of Yahoos in the Neighbourhood, to which he always very graciouſly conſented, being perfectly convinced, that the Hatred I bore thoſe Brutes, would never ſuffer me to be corrupted by them; […]"
- 3 An employee of the Internet company Yahoo! informal
"But having two beaming Chief Yahoos on the cover is an implied seal of approval."
- 4 a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture wordnet
- 5 A humanoid cryptid said to exist in parts of eastern Australia, and also reported in the Bahamas.
"1835, James Holman, Travels, quoted by Malcolm Smith, Bunyips and Bigfoots (Millennium Books, 1996, →ISBN), who notes that the Australian sense almost certainly derives from Gulliver's Travels, despite Holman's report The natives are greatly terrrified by the sight of a person in a mask calling him "devil" or Yah-hoo, which signifies evil spirit."
Verb
- 1 To give a cry of yahoo. informal, intransitive, transitive
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of Yahoo. alt-of
"Ah! You mean you have been 'yahooing'? I'm dead!"
- 3 To search using the Yahoo! search engine. Internet, informal, intransitive, transitive
"I watched as she Googled, Yahooed, Asked, and used a couple of search engines I’d never heard of."
Intj
- 1 An exclamation of joy or enjoyment.
""Yahoooooo! Give her some stick!""
- 2 A battle cry.
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative form of Yahoo!. alt-of, alternative
"That is what I plan to do at Yahoo: give the end user something valuable and delightful that makes them want to come to Yahoo every day."
Antonyms
Example
"When we reached the summit, we all yelled "Yahoo!""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "yahoo"?
Common synonyms include: rube, barbarian, boor, boors, brute, bumpkin.
How do you use "yahoo" in a sentence?
When we reached the summit, we all yelled "Yahoo!"
How do you pronounce "yahoo"?
Pronounced /ˈjɑːhuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, where Yahoo is the name of a race of brutes.
Etymology 2
Expressive.
Etymology 3
From Yahoo!.
Etymology 4
Coined by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels. According to the Century Dictionary, "[a] made name, prob[ably] meant to suggest disgust".
Etymology 5
From the company name Yahoo!; see more on origin there.