What does "yaw" mean?
The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane.
Yaw
/jɔː/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane.
- Grammar: yaw is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: swerve, aberrancy, aberration, about ship.
- Useful contrasts: align, fix, heading stability.
- Usage evidence: In helicopters, yaw is controlled through the pedals, which alter the angle of attack of the tail rotor blades.
How to use "yaw"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "yaw" 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 "yaw" 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 "yaw" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "yaw" 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 "yaw" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "swerve" 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.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "yaw", 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 The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane.
- 2 A single tumor in the disease called yaws.
"Sometimes there remains one large Yaw, high and knobbed, red and moist; this is called the master Yaw; […]"
- 3 an erratic deflection from an intended course wordnet
- 4 The angle between the longitudinal axis of a projectile at any moment and the tangent to the trajectory in the corresponding point of flight of the projectile.
- 5 A vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The extent of yawing; the rotation angle about the vertical axis.
"the yaw of an aircraft"
Verb
- 1 To turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course. intransitive
- 2 swerve off course momentarily wordnet
- 3 To swerve off course to port or starboard. intransitive
- 4 deviate erratically from a set course wordnet
- 5 To steer badly, zigzagging back and forth across the intended course of a boat; to go out of the line of course. intransitive
"Just as he would lay the ship's course, all yawing being out of the question."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 be wide open wordnet
- 7 To rise in blisters, breaking in white froth, as cane juice in the clarifiers in sugar works. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"In helicopters, yaw is controlled through the pedals, which alter the angle of attack of the tail rotor blades."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "yaw"?
Common synonyms include: swerve, aberrancy, aberration, about ship, axis, back and fill.
How do you use "yaw" in a sentence?
In helicopters, yaw is controlled through the pedals, which alter the angle of attack of the tail rotor blades.
How do you pronounce "yaw"?
Pronounced /jɔː/.
Etymology
Unknown, first attested in the mid-16th century. Perhaps related to yar (“quick, agile”), or alternatively from Old Norse jaga (“to chase, drive, move back and forth”), from Middle Low German jagen (“to hunt, chase, pursue”), from Old Saxon *jagōn, from Proto-West Germanic *jagōn, from Proto-Germanic *jakkōną (“to hunt”).