What does "yuck" mean?
Something disgusting.
Yuck
/jʌk/ intj, noun, verb, slang
intj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something disgusting.
- Grammar: yuck is listed as intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: barf, barfs, belly laugh, boff.
- Useful contrasts: delicious, neat, tasty.
- Usage evidence: Yuck, my cake is too sweet, and how is yours?
How to use "yuck"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "yuck" 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 "yuck" 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 "yuck" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "yuck" 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 "yuck" is acting as intj, 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 "barf" 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 "yuck", 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 Something disgusting. uncountable
"I fetched an orange from a basket and peeled it […] “Make sure you peel as much of the yuck off as possible,” she said. “I hate the yuck.""
- 2 The sound made by a whole-hearted laugh.
"Given this insecurity, the creators of “The Simpsons” took an extraordinary risk: they decided not to use a laugh track. On almost all other sitcoms, dialogue was interrupted repeatedly by crescendos of phony guffaws (or by the electronically enhanced laughter of live audiences), creating the unreal ebb and flow of sitcom conversation, in which a typical character’s initial reaction to an ostensibly humorous remark could only be to smile archly or look around while waiting for the yucks to die down."
- 3 Synonym of yearling (“a sophomore at West Point military academy”). US, slang
"Amy tells us that her husband, Jim Nelson, is deployed to Afghanistan […] as a nuclear operations officer — a result of graduating from the Naval Postgraduate School in December 2007 with a master's in Applied Physics. I guess I should have been looking for Jim to partner up with for physics help as a Yuck!"
- 4 A general insult. derogatory, informal, uncountable
"Alright, settle down, you yucks!"
Verb
- 1 To say "yuck"; to express disgust.
"I yucked and yicked and spit in the dirt ."
- 2 To laugh or joke. often
"And I so miss the laughs we yucked when I used to point out to you the irony of people's names in town ."
- 3 To yank or grab.
"Briggs yucked the mare about, and she stood straight up seven or eight times."
- 4 Alternative form of yawk (“to inflict a violent impact upon”). alt-of, alternative
- 5 To vomit or gag;
"She thought it was overpoweringly gross and yucked great dribbles over the front of her lace blouse ."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 fuck. euphemistic
"I can see these pro-lifer's screams of “Stop killing the foetus” turn to “I ain't taking no mother yucking nickker home to my mother yucking house.""
Intj
- 1 Uttered to indicate disgust usually toward an objectionable taste or odour.
"Yuck! This peanut butter is disgusting!"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Yuck, my cake is too sweet, and how is yours?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "yuck"?
Common synonyms include: barf, barfs, belly laugh, boff, boffola, burst of laughter.
How do you use "yuck" in a sentence?
Yuck, my cake is too sweet, and how is yours?
How do you pronounce "yuck"?
Pronounced /jʌk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Perhaps imitative. Akin to Dutch jakkes (“disgusting”). First appeared in the 1960s. Compare also Scots yeuk (“anything that disgusts”), Middle English yuke (“an itchy skin disease" akin to middle Dutch "joke" and modern Dutch "jeuk"”) .
Etymology 2
1930s theatrical slang, probably Imitative. Compare the variant yuk.