Yes
Pronunciation
- UK
- US
- Rhymes: -ɛs
Origin
From Middle English yes, yis, from Old English ġēse, ġīse, ġȳse, *ġīese ("yes, of course, so be it"), equivalent to ġēa ("yes", "so") + sī(e) ("may it be"). Compare yea.
Full definition of yes
Particle
- A word used to show agreement or acceptance.Yes, you are correct.Yes, you may go play outside now.Yes, sir, we have your package right here.
- A word used to indicate disagreement or dissent in reply to a negative statement.It was not my fault we lost the race.Oh, yes, it was!
Synonyms
- Dialect or archaic forms: ay, aye, yea, yassuh
- Nautical, military, telecommunications: affirmative
- Colloquial or slang forms: ya, yah, yeah,
Antonyms
Derived terms
Usage notes
In Old and Middle English, yes was a more forceful affirmative than yea.
An example of yes used to disagree with a statement: the questions "You don’t want it, do you?" and "Don’t you want it?" are answered by "yes" if the respondent does want the item, and "no" if not. Many languages use a specific word for this purpose; see translation table above.
Interjection
!- Used to express pleasure, joy, or great excitement.Our second goal of the match! Yes!
Antonyms
Noun
- An affirmative expression; an answer that shows agreement or acceptance.Was that a yes?
- A vote of support or in favor/favour of something.The workers voted on whether to strike, and there were thirty "yeses" and one "no".