Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Yawning for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Yawning" — adjective, pronounced /ˈjɔːnɪŋ/, with the stress on "yawn".
Narrator: Yawning means very wide and open, like a gaping hole or gap.
Narrator: In plain English, it means huge and wide open.
Narrator: It comes from yawn plus -ing.
Narrator: A common collocation is "a yawning gap", which describes a big difference.
Narrator: It differs from "wide", because yawning suggests a dramatic, worrying gap.
Narrator: In a second sense, yawning is the act of yawning when tired.
Narrator: Economics, geography, politics and fiction all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: yawning means gaping wide.
Speaker A: Why is the gap between rich and poor in the news?
Speaker B: It's a YAWNING gap! From yawn.
Speaker A: Getting bigger?
Speaker B: Every year.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "A yawning chasm opened", geography. "A yawning gap in the budget", finance. "Yawning students at nine", school.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Use yawning for gaps and holes, not just for being tired.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Gaping is its cousin, cavernous its twin, and vast an alternative — yet yawning keeps its dramatic charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "yawning" in AI prompts — useful for data reports and descriptive writing.
Speaker A: How for reports?
Speaker B: Spot gaps.
Prompt: Highlight any yawning gaps between planned and actual spending in this budget.
Speaker A: And writing?
Speaker B: Imagery.
Prompt: Describe a yawning cave entrance in a mountain in one sentence.
Speaker A: Could it help skills?
Speaker B: Yes, for gaps.
Prompt: Find the yawning skills gaps in our team from this survey.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Education.
Prompt: Explain the yawning attainment gap in simple terms for parents.
Yawning — meaning in Arabic & definition More Y courses GL Dictionary