Yelp
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 An abrupt, high-pitched noise or utterance.
"The puppy let out a yelp when I stepped on her tail."
- 2 a sharp high-pitched cry (especially by a dog) wordnet
- 3 A type of emergency vehicle siren sounding quicker and more intense than the wail.
- 1 To utter an abrupt, high-pitched noise.
"The children yelped with delight as they played in the cold water."
- 2 bark in a high-pitched tone wordnet
Example
More examples"The dog gave a yelp when I trod on its paw."
Etymology
From Middle English ȝelp, yelp, from Old English ġielp (“boasting, arrogance, pride”), from Proto-West Germanic *gelp, from Proto-Germanic *gelpą (“boasting”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shout”).
From Middle English ȝelpen, yelpen, from Old English ġielpan (“to boast”), from Proto-West Germanic *gelpan, from Proto-Germanic *gelpaną (“to sound off, boast”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel‑ (“to call, shout, scream”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian jalpe, galpe (“to bleep; cheep”), German Low German galpen (“to scream, shriek, howl”), Middle High German gelpfen, gelpfen (“to roar, howl, bark, boast, sing loudly”).
Related phrases
More for "yelp"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.