yaw

Y4A1W4
/jɔː//jɑː//jɒː/

noun

The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane.

“the yaw of an aircraft”

Similar
swervegapeyawn
OriginOld Norse jaga ← Middle Low German jagen ← Old Saxon *jagōn →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

yaw1

nounyaw (countable and uncountable, plural yaws)

plural yaws

  1. countableuncountableThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane.
  2. countableuncountableThe angle between the longitudinal axis of a projectile at any moment and the tangent to the trajectory in the corresponding point of flight of the projectile.
  3. countableuncountablenauticalA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness.
  4. countableuncountableThe extent of yawing; the rotation angle about the vertical axis.

    the yaw of an aircraft

verbyaw (third-person singular simple present yaws, present participle yawing, simple past and past participle yawed)

present singular third person yaws · participle present yawing · participle past yawed · past yawed

  1. intransitiveaeronauticsTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course.
  2. intransitivenauticalTo swerve off course to port or starboard.
  3. intransitivenauticalTo steer badly, zigzagging back and forth across the intended course of a boat; to go out of the line of course.

    Just as he would lay the ship's course, all yawing being out of the question.

    1853–1864, James Russell Lowell, “(please specify the page)”, in Fireside Travels, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, published 1864, →OCLC
  4. intransitiveTo rise in blisters, breaking in white froth, as cane juice in the clarifiers in sugar works.

yaw2

nounyaw (plural yaws)

plural yaws

  1. A single tumor in the disease called yaws.

    Sometimes there remains one large Yaw, high and knobbed, red and moist; this is called the master Yaw; […]

    1770, William Northcote, The Marine Practice of Physic and Surgery, page 408

Yaw3

proper nounYaw (plural Yaws)

plural Yaws

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan erratic deflection from an intended course

Similar
swerve
Broader
turningturn

verbbe wide open

Similar
gapeyawn
Broader
open
Also see
gapeslewslueswerveyawnzigzag

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*jakkōną“to hunt”
  2. Proto-West Germanic*jagōn
  3. Old Saxon*jagōn
  4. Middle Low Germanjagen“to hunt, chase, pursue”
  5. Old Norsejaga“to chase, drive, move back and forth”
  6. Englishyaw

Unknown, first attested in the mid-16th century. Perhaps related to yar (“quick, agile”), or alternatively from Old Norse jaga (“to chase, drive, move back and forth”), from Middle Low German jagen (“to hunt, chase, pursue”), from Old Saxon *jagōn, from Proto-West Germanic *jagōn, from Proto-Germanic *jakkōną (“to hunt”).

More words from Old Norse, Middle Low German, Old Saxon

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech vybočení, stáčení
  • vybočeníThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • stáčeníThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • stočeníThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • stočit seTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
  • stáčet seTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
  • měnit kursTo swerve off course to port or starboard
  • změnit kursTo swerve off course to port or starboard
  • zatočitTo swerve off course to port or starboard
  • zatáčetTo swerve off course to port or starboard
  • vybočitTo swerve off course to port or starboard
Dutch gieren
  • gierenTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
Finnish kääntyminen, kääntyminen
  • kääntyminenThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • kääntyminenThe angle between the longitudinal axis of a projectile at any moment and the tangent to the trajectory in the corresponding point of flight of the projectile
  • mutkailuA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
  • kääntyminenThe extent of yawing, the rotation angle about the vertical axis
  • kääntyäTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
  • poiketaTo swerve off course to port or starboard
French lacet, lacet
  • lacetThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • lacetA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
German Gieren, Gierwinkel
  • GierenThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • GierwinkelThe angle between the longitudinal axis of a projectile at any moment and the tangent to the trajectory in the corresponding point of flight of the projectile
  • GierwinkelThe extent of yawing, the rotation angle about the vertical axis
  • gierenTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
Greek ελιγμός
  • ελιγμός (eligmós)The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
Hebrew סבסוב, הִסְתַבְסֵב
  • סבסוב (sivsúv)The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • הִסְתַבְסֵב (histavsev)To turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
  • הִסְתַבְסֵב (histavsev)To steer badly, zigzagging back and forth across the intended course of a boat; to go out of the line of course
Italian imbardata, straorzata
  • imbardataThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • straorzataA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
Māori wherori, tiwai
  • wheroriTo steer badly, zigzagging back and forth across the intended course of a boat; to go out of the line of course
  • tiwaiTo steer badly, zigzagging back and forth across the intended course of a boat; to go out of the line of course
Polish odchylenie, obrót
  • odchylenieThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • obrótThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • myszkowanieA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
Portuguese guinada, guinar
  • guinadaThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • guinarTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
Russian рысканье, у́гол рысканья
  • рысканье (ryskanʹje)The rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • у́гол рысканья (úgol ryskanʹja)The angle between the longitudinal axis of a projectile at any moment and the tangent to the trajectory in the corresponding point of flight of the projectile
Spanish bandazo, guiñada
  • bandazoThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • guiñadaThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane
  • guiñadaA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
  • pivoteA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
  • pívotA vessel's motion rotating about the vertical axis, so the bow yaws from side to side; a characteristic of unsteadiness
  • pivotarTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
  • guiñarTo turn about the vertical axis while maintaining course
Swedish gir
  • girThe rotation of an aircraft, ship, or missile about its vertical axis so as to cause the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, ship, or missile to deviate from the flight line or heading in its horizontal plane

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with yaw

lawsawrawdrawshawawwithdrawMcGrawstrawwarsawwofauxjawthoughtfultauflawawepawclawthorLimbaughwaughhawthaw
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

yore (non-rhotic)youryou're (some non-rhotic accents, especially with the pour–poor merger)y'all (l-vocalization)yore (non-rhotic)youryou're (some non-rhotic accents, especially with the pour–poor merger)y'all (l-vocalization)yore (non-rhotic)youryou're (some non-rhotic accents, especially with the pour–poor merger)y'all (l-vocalization)

Anagrams

way
Cite this entry
APA

yaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yaw

MLA

“yaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yaw. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yaw,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yaw.

Source: yaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.