66 Examples of Verbs that Start with Y in English

A complete list of verbs that start with Y in English. You may not realize it, but you’re actually using verbs in every sentence that you ever speak or write because you cannot construct a full sentence without at least one verb. Verbs help us describe the things that we are doing, have done, or are planning to do. The more verbs you know, the better your sentences will be!

Verbs that Start with Y

What Are Verbs Starting with Y?

Verbs that start with Y are words used to describe actions taken, beginning with the letter Y. In the English language, it’s quite common to see the letter Y as a suffix at the end of a word, typically an adjective or a noun. Adding “-y” to the end of a word changes its meaning to “having the quality of”, so the word becomes descriptive.

Having Y at the start of a word can also be descriptive, like with Y verbs. These verbs help us describe our actions in a sentence. Recognizing more Y verbs will allow you to use them in conversation just as often as you would use words that end in Y. Interestingly, Y verbs are some of the shortest verbs too, so they shouldn’t be difficult to learn.

Discover more verbs that start with…
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N
‍O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Verbs that Start with Y | Image

Verbs that Start with Y

List of Verbs that Start with Y

Like the other letters towards the end of the alphabet, such as X and Z, Y isn’t a letter that we often expect to see at the start of a word. However, there are far more than we realize, especially since some of these Y verbs are more often used as nouns.

Check out this list of verbs that start with Y below:

  • Yip
  • Yell
  • Yap
  • Yawn
  • Yowl
  • Yarm
  • Yearn
  • Yack
  • Yank
  • Yandy
  • Yelm
  • Yeuk
  • Yoik
  • Yealm
  • Yuk
  • Youthify
  • Yar
  • Yak
  • Yot
  • Yen
  • Yakka
  • Yiddishize
  • Yeasay
  • York
  • Yammer
  • Yuck
  • Youtube
  • Yomp
  • Yelp
  • Yarn
  • Yarl
  • Yankee
  • Yield
  • Yoke
  • Yead
  • Yabber
  • Yote
  • Yacht
  • Yux
  • Yoink
  • Yesk
  • Yo-Yo
  • Yeast
  • Yellow
  • Yoohoo
  • Yard
  • Yawl
  • Yeehaw
  • Yaup
  • Yaw
  • Yodel
  • Yelloch
  • Yock
  • Yark
  • Yuppify
  • Yawp
  • Yerk
  • Yatter
  • Youl

For an extra challenge, here are some harder, less common Y verbs to learn:

  • Yump
  • Yoo-hoo
  • Yesk
  • Yoink
  • Yabber

Related: 200+ Common Action Verbs List in English with Pictures

Verbs that Start with Y with Examples

Verbs Examples
Yip The dog started to yip at the mailman.
Yell I had to yell to get my friend’s attention.
Yap The small dog would yap at everything.
Yawn He couldn’t help but yawn during the lecture.
Yowl The cat would yowl whenever she was hungry.
Yarm The knitter would yarm every day.
Yearn I yearn for the day when we can travel again.
Yack He loved to yack about his travels.
Yank She yanked the door open.
Yandy She would yandy around the house all day.
Yelm He would yelm at the top of his lungs.
Yeuk The thought of eating bugs made him yeuk.
Yoik The singer would yoik traditional songs.
Yealm The sailor would yealm when the waves got rough.
Yuk The smell of the garbage made him yuk.
Youthify The company wanted to youthify its brand.
Yar The boat would yar in rough waters.
Yak He would yak about his problems all day.
Yot He yot his way through the dense forest.
Yen She yenned for her home country.
Yakka He worked as a yakka in the mine.
Yiddishize He would yiddishize his English by adding Yiddish words.
Yeasay She would always yeasay to her boss.
Yammer The baby would yammer all night.
Yuck The taste of the medicine made him yuck.
Youtube He would youtube his travels.
Yomp The soldiers had to yomp for miles.
Yelp The dog would yelp whenever someone rang the doorbell.
Yarn She would yarn stories about her childhood.
Yarl The viking would yarl before going into battle.
Yield The crop would yield a lot of corn.
Yoke The oxen were yoked together.
Yead He would yead his way through the maze.
Yabber She would yabber on the phone for hours.
Yote He yote the ball to his teammate.
Yux He loved to yux his friends.
Yoink He yoinked the last cookie from the jar.
Yesk He would yesk his way out of trouble.
Yo-Yo He would yo-yo up and down the street.
Yeast I need to yeast the dough before baking the bread.
Yellow The leaves in the autumn yellow and fall off the trees.
Yoohoo He would yoohoo to get his friend’s attention.
Yard He likes to yard his garden every weekend.
Yawl The boat would yawl in the storm.

Common Verbs that Start with Y and their Meanings

If you want to introduce more Y verbs into your vocabulary, start with these common ones listed below:

  • To yap– to give a shrill bark
  • To yell– to shout loudly
  • To yank– to tug something hard
  • To yelp– a short cry of alarm or pain
  • To yawn– to open your mouth widely and inhale, due to tiredness
  • To yearn– a feeling of intense longing
  • To yowl– a loud, wailing cry
  • To yield– to give way to pressure or demands
  • To yo-yo– to fluctuate
  • To yodel– a form of singing/calling delivered in a rapidly changing voice, known as “yodeling’
  • To yip– a short cry of delight or excitement

Verbs that Start with Y in Sentences

  • She yelled at her son to stop playing video games and do his homework.
  • Sarah yearned to travel the world and experience different cultures.
  • The farmer’s crops yielded a bountiful harvest this year.
  • The dog yelped in pain after stepping on a thorn.
  • After a long day at work, John couldn’t stop yawning during the meeting.
  • The school’s yearbook is a collection of memories from the past school year.
  • The yielding of the suspect was a result of the police’s effective tactics.
  • She yanked the door open in frustration when it wouldn’t budge.
  • The yellows in the painting gave it a warm, sunny feel.
  • The Swiss mountain climber yodeled as he reached the summit.

Conclusion

To conclude, it’s probably a lot easier to work verbs beginning with Y into the everyday conversation than you thought! The majority of them are short, have simple meanings, and can easily be used in place of other common verbs. For example, why not use ‘yell’ instead of shout? Or ‘yield’ instead of ‘give in’? Or ‘yowl’ instead of ‘scream’?

There are countless examples of when Y verbs can be used in sentences, so working them into your vocabulary is a great way to vary the words you commonly use and also learn something new!

Resources Related to Y Verbs

Verbs List

Latest posts by Liam Daniel (see all)