Refine this word faster
Yo-yo
//ˈjoʊ.joʊ// noun, verb, slang
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A toy consisting of a spheroidal or cylindrical spindle having a circular groove in which string is wound; it is used by holding the string in the fingers and reeling the spindle up and down by movements of the wrist.
"I bought a yo-yo from the toy store yesterday."
- 2 a toy consisting of a spool that is reeled up and down on a string by motions of the hand wordnet
- 3 A volatile market that moves up and down.
- 4 Someone who vacillates. informal
- 5 A dogfighting maneuver involving the attacker temporarily exchanging altitude for airspeed, or vice versa, in order to rapidly catch up with the defender or to prevent an overshoot.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A cloth rosette formed by gathering the outside edge of a circle of fabric in toward the centre using a running stitch.
- 7 A foolish, annoying or incompetent person. informal
"It is hard to watch the management for very long and not conclude that the place is run by a bunch of yo-yos."
Verb
- 1 To vacillate; to move up and down. intransitive
"The yo-yoing stockmarket whizzed back up by around a quarter and then started to fall again."
Etymology
Etymology 1
Genericized trademark. Most likely from Ilocano yóyo, or another Philippine cognate.
Etymology 2
Genericized trademark. Most likely from Ilocano yóyo, or another Philippine cognate.
See also for "yo-yo"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: yoyo