yes and

verb

To go along with what is offered, especially in a performative context, and to accept and expand upon it; to go with the flow; to take it in stride.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbyes and (third-person singular simple present yes ands, present participle yes anding, simple past and past participle yes anded)

present singular third person yes ands · participle present yes anding · participle past yes anded · past yes anded

  1. actingTo go along with what is offered, especially in a performative context, and to accept and expand upon it; to go with the flow; to take it in stride.

    If Lord Buckley made standup courageous, then Lenny Bruce “yes anded” that and ushered in standup for a new age

    2011, Margaret Hicks, Chicago Comedy: A Fairly Serious History

Origin

From a well-known rule in improv acting, wherein improvised lines must (figuratively) be answered with yes and... in order to continue the scene.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

yes and. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yes%20and

MLA

“yes and.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yes%20and. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yes and,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yes%20and.

Source: yes and on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.